California is 'starting to see the decline' in COVID-19 cases, top health official says
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Updated: 4:04 PM PST Jan 19, 2021
KCRA Staff
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Updated: 4:04 PM PST Jan 19, 2021
KCRA Staff
California is "starting to see the decline" in new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have stabilized and are "declining somewhat," the state's top health official said on Tuesday.California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said during a video conference that the current number of hospitalizations, 20, 263, is down 8.5% over the past two weeks. Admissions at hospital intensive care units are down 2.8% over the past week, he said.COVID-19 test positivity rates, another key indicator tracked by health officials, have come down to 11.6% for the past two weeks from 12.7% earlier in January.On Monday, California became the first state in the U.S. to record more than 3 million COVID-19 cases. The state has seen more than 33,600 deaths related to the virus.On average, California has had 35,669 new cases daily for the past two weeks, Ghaly said.Officials had warned that a recent slight downward trend in hospitalizations could reverse when the full impact of New Year's Eve gathering transmissions is felt. But Ghaly said Tuesday that there wasn’t as big a bump in coronavirus cases as expected over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.The state is placing its hopes on mass vaccinations to reduce the number of infections, but there have been snags in the immunization drive. On Sunday, Dr. Erica S. Pan, California's top epidemiologist, urged that providers stop using one batch of the Moderna vaccine as the state investigates reports of allergic reactions.A spokesperson with the California Department of Public Health confirmed to KCRA 3 on Monday that the clinic is San Diego's Petco Park, which was recently picked to be a mass vaccination site. Fewer than 10 people there required medical attention. No other similar clusters were found.Meanwhile, California public health officials are also keeping a close eye on another COVID-19 variant that has been detected in at least a dozen counties.— The Associated Press contributed reporting.