California COVID-19 numbers spiking at rate similar to summer surge, latest data show
Coronavirus infections and hospitalizations have climbed quickly in California in recent weeks, likely fueled at least in part by new, contagious COVID-19 subvariants overtaking older strains, as well the arrival of colder weather.
The statewide daily case rate jumped to 8.8 per 100,000 residents, the California Department of Public Health said in a weekly update Thursday, which is an 18% increase from the previous week’s 7.5 per 100,000 and up 36% compared to 6.5 per 100,000 two weeks earlier.
California’s test positivity rate grew to 6.3%, up from 5.4% last week and 4.4% two weeks ago. It has now reached its highest point since Sept. 9.
The recent acceleration in positivity rate is nearly identical to a comparable stretch of early weeks during this past summer’s BA.2 surge, state health data show. Positivity spiked from 4.3% to 6.3% over the course of 13 days during May, then continued to increase for weeks before peaking at just over 16% in July.
It is too early to tell whether the current wave will continue a similar trajectory or reach a similar peak as summer’s surge.
But the state’s two worst surges of the nearly three-year pandemic have each come around this time of year: winter 2020, just before vaccines were made widely available; and last winter, with the arrival of the original omicron variant. Health officials advise that cooler weather and end-of-year holidays drive people to gather indoors, where COVID-19 spreads more easily.
Hospitalizations with COVID-19 are also up in California, with CDPH on Thursday reporting 2,187 virus patients in hospital beds statewide, a 19% increase compared to last week. The latest tally includes 287 in intensive care units, up 28%.
Summer’s BA.5 surge peaked at nearly 5,000 concurrent COVID-positive patients; winter’s BA.1 omicron surge topped 15,000.
Latest on newer COVID-19 subvariants
Relatively new subvariants of omicron have displaced BA.5 as the predominant strains circulating nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A pair of subvariants known as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 combined for 44% of U.S. virus cases, according to a weekly update by the CDC last Friday, while BA.5 fell to 30%. The preceding week, BA.5 made up 41% while the two BQ variants combined for 33%.
Global health experts have said BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 appear to be better at evading antibodies than BA.5, prompting heightened concern about reinfections.
Also spreading quickly is another subvariant, BN.1, which has climbed from 1.9% to 4.3% in the past two weeks with data available.
BN.1 currently makes up a larger share of cases on the West Coast compared to nationwide, with the variant growing from 2.8% to 6.2% in the past two weeks for the CDC region including California.
All known omicron subvariants are labeled “variants of concern” by the CDC.
Sacramento-area numbers by county
Sacramento County’s latest case rate is 10 per 100,000 residents, state health officials said in Thursday’s update, a 44% increase from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Sacramento County were treating 96 patients, state data updated Thursday show, up from 77 one week earlier. The intensive care unit total increased to 13 from 11.
Placer County’s latest case rate is 8.5 per 100,000 residents, an 82% increase from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Placer County were treating 56 virus patients Wednesday, up from 34 one week earlier. The ICU total increased to eight from three.
Yolo County’s latest case rate is 8.1 per 100,000 residents, an 8% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Yolo County were treating four virus patients Wednesday, up from three a week earlier. The ICU total remained at one.
El Dorado County’s latest case rate is 7.3 per 100,000 residents, a 2% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in El Dorado County were treating eight virus patients Wednesday, down from nine a week earlier. The ICU total remained at one.
Sutter County’s latest case rate is 11.6 per 100,000 residents, up 32% from last week, and Yuba County’s is 7.6 per 100,000, down 2%, state health officials reported Thursday.
The only hospital in Yuba County, which serves the Yuba-Sutter bicounty area, was treating six virus patients Wednesday, up from five a week earlier. The ICU total remained at one.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 10:27 AM with the headline "California COVID-19 numbers spiking at rate similar to summer surge, latest data show."
