Local governments announce new cases and deaths each day, though bottlenecks in bureaucracy can introduce delays. For instance, some agencies do not report new totals on holidays and weekends, leading to lower numbers on those days.
Over the past week, the state has averaged 41,244 new cases and 528.6 new deaths per day. Experts say the true number of people infected is unknown and likely much higher than official tallies.
What we know
- Stay-at-home orders remain. Most of the state, including Los Angeles County, is currently under stricter rules.
- New cases have been surging. Over the last seven days, the state has averaged 41,244 cases per day, a significant jump from before the holidays. Roughly 11.4% of tests this past week have come back positive.
- Deaths are on the rise. The state has averaged 528.6 daily deaths over the last week, an increase of 59.1% from two weeks ago.
- Hospitalizations have never been higher. Statewide, there are 20,722 people hospitalized with a confirmed case, 2% more than two weeks ago. Check the status of facilities with The Times’ new hospital tracker.
- Disparities in age and race persist. Roughly 75% of the dead were 65 or older. After adjusting for population, Latinos are now 2.6 times more likely than whites to test positive.
Vaccines
About 3.14 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been shipped to California counties and healthcare systems. To date, 1,188,703 shots of the two-dose vaccine have been administered, about 37.8% of the total supply. The state public health department has not released the number of individual people vaccinated.
The state provides a regional breakdown of the number of doses administered that have been administered since Jan. 15.
The first inoculations are being administered to healthcare workers who face the greatest exposure to the virus and residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Officials are still drafting a plan on how to roll out the vaccine beyond the initial group. It is unclear when essential workers and other Californians will have access.
Phase 1
Healthcare workers, long-term care residents and people age 65+
Doctors and nurses on the front lines are now receiving shots. Other healthcare workers, nursing homes and seniors are all eligible in this step.
Phase 2
Essential workers
Emergency personnel, teachers and farmworkers are expected to be next in line. There is no start date. Who else will qualify is undecided.
Phase 3
Everyone else
It’s unclear how long the rest of California’s nearly 40 million residents may wait. Experts say shots may be readily available by late spring or summer.