The Bay Area is now averaging a roughly 11% ICU capacity, as of data released Saturday by the California Department of Public Health.
That’s fewer available hospital beds, and staff, than just two weeks ago when on December 14 the Bay Area’s ICU capacity was at 17.8%.
ICU capacity is key in determining a state-imposed regional stay-at-home order, which was announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in early December. Regions fall under those stay-at-home orders when ICU capacity below 15% in regions defined by the state.
The health department divided the state into various regions to institute the order, including the Bay Area and Greater Sacramento Region, among others.
Some Bay Area counties self-imposed those restrictions, however, before dropping below that threshold.
Bay Area ICU capacity rose above 10% this weekend.
San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and other Bay Area counties are at about 11.3% ICU capacity.
For data on counties across California check out our ICU capacity map:https://t.co/BNiHh1EGCP
— KQED News (@KQEDnews) December 27, 2020
The state also hit a grim milestone on December 4, surpassing 2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. There have been 23,983 COVID-19-related fatalities as of Dec. 26.
“The sober reality, on Christmas Eve, as I speak to you, 351 lives have been lost and families have been torn apart,” Gov. Newsom said as the state hit 2 million cases. “Some encouraging signs in terms of it seems some stabilization in the rate of growth, but a sobering time with that 2 million figure and 351 lives lost to this deadly, deadly disease.”
California #COVID19, By The Numbers:
Confirmed cases to date: 2,072,665 Note: Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed
More information at https://t.co/TLLUGwPGY7. pic.twitter.com/eeEtOyKnuh
— CA Public Health (@CAPublicHealth) December 26, 2020
While 213,365 of those cases were among people 65 and older, roughly 1.2 million of those cases were of people between 18 and 49, according to the California Department of Public Health.
â Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez (@FitztheReporter)
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