Today’s marks a (dichotomous) pair of domestic coronavirus milestones: on one hand, over 200,000 Americans have now died from the novel respiratory disease, and on the other, California is currently recording a drop in Covid-19-related hospitalization and test positivity rates.
Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted out the welcomed news Tuesday afternoon.
“[California’s] test positivity rate continues to decline,” reads a portion of the tweet. “Now at an average of 3.1%.”
The governor added that coronavirus hospitalizations are down 23%. ICU rates have plummeted by a staggering 25%. The average case rate in California is now of 7.7 per 100,000 people.
You can give into the numbers and track the outbreak through this tool from the Los Angeles Times.
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At the same time, San Francisco has had the lowest Covid-19 death rate of any other major U.S. city — and that’s been the case for most of the pandemic. And the rate of cases are falling at an encouraging rate at the moment — numbers are down to what they were in June before the second wave hit in the summer.
“We’ve seen all of this come down and we’re really encouraged by this,” Dr. Monica Gandhi, UCSF infectious disease specialist, told NBC Bay Area.
These numbers have allowed more businesses to open up. Recently, gyms, hair salons, massage and tattoo parlors, and even some movie theaters have opened at limited capacity in the Bay Area. And indoor dining is set to resume at 25% capacity by October 1.
We welcome any and all good news these days. But don’t let these welcomed statistics lull you into a sense of complacency. If anything, it should motivate you to keep being careful, wearing masks, and social distancing. These measures are as important as ever — especially as we enter into the flu season.
Wash your hands, be kind to strangers; respect one another’s space in public settings. (And make sure you’re registered to vote.)
