This count was able to collect figures far ahead of any state-led tally. A one-time change in charts and totals occurred on the date of that change.ĭata collection at the outset of the pandemic was completed manually, four times each day. 3, 2021, the California Data Coalition switched its source for county virus data to counts released the California Department of Public Health. Update: Cases and deaths data come from files released by the California Department of Public Health, collected from 61 county and city health departments statewide.īefore September 2021, The Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times led a data collection partnership of California media organizations, including the San Diego Union-Tribune, KQED, KPCC, CapRadio, Calmatters and Big Local News at Stanford University. Listen by selecting your preferred podcast service below.Īpple Spotify Overcast Google Stitcher Pocket Fifth & Mission Podcast Fifth & Mission is diving into all the ways COVID-19 is impacting life in the Bay Area. California has the highest totals in the nation in terms of cases and deaths, but on a per-capita basis, the number of cases and deaths are below the national average. has the highest reported total COVID-19 cases of any country. At one point it had declined to around 2%, but has been steadily climbing and is back above that WHO recommended benchmark. California’s positive test rate was up to nearly 20% during the peak of the winter surge. Before vaccines were widely available, the World Health Organization had established a recommended positivity rate of 5% for reopening.
Free home tests are being offered on the White House website. Home tests, most of which are not included in these numbers, are being recommended in hopes that people who test positive will stay home and isolate. The volume of reported tests ramped up as the omicron variant took hold. What is the status of testing in California?
The Bay Area has relatively high vaccination rates but boosters are being recommended as variants continue to emerge. One study suggested that cases in New York City could be thirtyfold higher than the numbers being reported. The Bay Area has been reporting some of the highest case rates in the state and those numbers do not include the growing number of people testing positive with home tests. Reported case rates have climbed higher than during the first winter surge at the end of 2020 and experts say the total number infected could be nearing or surpassing the total during the peak of the omicron-driven surge this past winter. What are the current trends in the Bay Area?