California Shatters National Record (Again) With Over 30,000 New Covid Cases In 1 Day

Topline

California is adding new Covid cases at a level no other state has ever approached, reporting another 30,851 new cases on Wednesday alone—the highest ever in a single state—as daily new caseloads have more than quadrupled on average since the start of November, while hospitalizations and deaths spike at a rapid pace and much of the state goes under new stay-at-home orders.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“It’s the worst we have seen, and it’s continuing to worsen,” Santa Clara County Dr. Ahmad Kamal told the Los Angeles Times.

What To Watch For

The low ICU capacity numbers have triggered new stay-at-home orders for most of the state’s population. The latest to be added was the Greater Sacramento area on Wednesday. Most of those stay-at-home orders were just issued in the last week or so, meaning that even if they’ve been effective, it’s likely too soon for that to be reflected in the data.

Key Background

The massive spike in California is a major part of the broader record surge in coronavirus across the United States. The country as a whole is now averaging more than 200,000 new cases a day, with a record 104,590 hospitalized, according to The COVID Tracking Project, while the daily death average is now at a record-high 2,225. All of the lower 48 states are now in a condition of “uncontrolled spread,” according to covidexitstrategy.org.

Surprising Fact 

Though California is shattering case count records in terms of raw numbers, its outbreak on a per capita basis is actually far below some of the nation’s smallest states. In North Dakota, 1 in every 800 residents has died of coronavirus, and taking unconfirmed cases into account, 1 in 3 residents in neighboring South Dakota are estimated to have been infected with Covid-19.

Further Reading

Florida Shatters National Record With Over 15,000 New Coronavirus Cases (Forbes)

Some ICUs at California hospitals are completely full: ‘It is the worst we have seen’ (Los Angeles Times)

California regional stay-at-home order restrictions: What’s open, what’s closed (KCRA-TV)

1 In Every 800 North Dakota Residents Now Dead From Covid (Forbes)

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus