Coronavirus updates: Newsom says 10 million vaccines have been administered in California

California has hit a major milestone in the fight against COVID-19, reaching 10 million vaccinations Friday as infectious activity continues to slow to a trickle.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced via his official Twitter account that the state had successfully administered 10 million doses.

“Hope is here,” he wrote, boasting that the state has vaccinated more people than many sovereign nations.

State data shows exactly 10.2 million vaccines administered across California, 335,000 of which have been in Sacramento County. Los Angeles and San Diego counties combined account for nearly 3.5 million of the total number of administered doses. Placer County has administered nearly 125,000 doses, while Yolo County has administered 63,000 and El Dorado County has administered nearly 50,000.

Recent data pouring out of the California Department of Public Health has appeared to support a hopeful stance, with daily infection reports reflecting the lowest increases in coronavirus infections in several months.

Nearly 3.5 million Californians have gotten sick with COVID-19 in the past year, and 53,866 have died of COVID-19, according to the CDPH.

On Friday, 4,452 people were confirmed coronavirus-positive. Monday’s report added 2,533 new infections to the state’s overall total, the lowest daily report since mid-October, well before the winter surge brought on countless new infections. California has come a long way since late 2020 and early 2021, when 50,000 or more daily infections were reported multiple times.

The state continues to show marked improvements in infections. Using data from the past week, the CDPH reported a daily average infection report of 3,814, which is down more than 25% from the week prior.

COVID-19 deaths are also slowing in the Golden State. The state’s 7-day average death toll is 292 per day, based on the last week’s data. That’s down more than 31% from the week before, according to the CDPH.

The statewide test positivity rate from the last week is 2.1%. Over the last two weeks, the average was 2.3%, reflecting a slight decrease in recent days.

Hospitalizations are also rapidly declining. There are currently just over 4,000 patients hospitalized across the state with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 1,152 are being treated in intensive care units. Hospitalizations are at the lowest levels since November.

At the peak of the winter surge, nearly 22,000 Californians were in hospitals, putting serious strain on the state’s medical infrastructure. Since that time, ICU capacity has bounced back. There are currently 2,003 ICU beds available statewide, up from 1,030 in mid-January.

Europe reeling from new variants

The Associated Press reported on Saturday that Europe continues to add coronavirus infections at an increasing rate as it grapples with several divergent variants of the virus, even as the situation stateside seems to be improving.

European nations reported 1 million new cases of coronavirus last week, up by 9% from the week prior.

The variant first discovered in the United Kingdom has been observed with significant viral spread in 27 European counties. The World Health Organization has warned that it may be up to 50% more transmissible than the virus seen elsewhere last year.

That strain was found in the Sacramento area in February, and has been seen in other regions of the state since then. The Los Angeles Times previously spoke with officials who urged vigilance as the variants continue to spread.

Worldwide, a total of 116 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and 2.5 million have died. The United States leads in both metrics, with nearly 29 million infections and 523,000 deaths.

CA volunteer program offers vaccines

California officials, seeking to get more shots into arms while smoothing the vaccine rollout, provided details on Friday surrounding a volunteer program that administers vaccine doses to workers.

The MyTurn Volunteer program’s website went up on Friday, allowing Californians able to volunteer at vaccination clinics to receive a shot themselves in return after a few hours of work.

After a shift of at least four hours, a clinic administrator can sign off on a dose for each volunteer.

“You have a chance to have a shot. Have a shot at saving lives and, have a shot at being a part of the solution, and California needs you,” California Volunteers’ Chief Service Officer Josh Friday said during the Friday announcement.

Volunteers with or without medical experience are needed. Unskilled volunteers can tackle general tasks such as sanitizing surfaces or directing traffic.

Sacramento-area data

Sacramento County has confirmed 94,129 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 1,510 of those have died of COVID-19. On Friday, county health officials reported 182 new infections and four deaths.

This week, Sacramento County’s death toll topped 1,500, meaning that for about every 1,000 residents, one person has died of COVID-19. Nearly half of those deaths occurred between December and January.

State data shows that 144 people are currently hospitalized in Sacramento County. That figure has continued to decline since mid-January. There are also 44 patients in ICUs. The county has 94 ICU beds still open.

As of Monday, the average per-capita rate of infection for the county was 8.2 people infected for every 100,000 residents. On Jan. 9, that average was nearly 57 people infected for the same number of residents, and has been declining since then.

Placer County health officials have confirmed a total of 20,035 infections and 232 deaths. Placer on Friday reported 72 new cases. The county’s seven-day average test positivity rate was 3.1%. Officials say 6 people are infected for every 100,000 residents.

State data shows 45 virus patients in Placer hospitals, 14 of whom are in ICUs. The county has 23 ICU beds available.

Yolo County has reported a total of 12,778 cases and 185 deaths, adding 27 new infections Friday. The most recent average test positivity rate, using data from mid- to late-February, was 1.1%.

State data showed Yolo with only 7 virus patients Monday, the lowest total since November. Four of those are in ICUs, and four more ICU beds are available.

El Dorado County has reported 9,204 positive test results and 100 deaths. The county on Thursday and Friday reported no new cases. On Wednesday, it added two infections to the total.

In January and early February, the county saw a surge in deaths. It reported 15 times as many in the two months since Thanksgiving as it did during the nine months before the holiday. At least 75 El Dorado residents have died of COVID-19 since late November, compared to four from March through mid-November. However, no new deaths have been reported since Feb. 9.

State health officials on Monday reported 3 virus patients in El Dorado hospitals. All three of them are in ICUs. Five ICU beds are still available.

In Sutter County, 8,923 people have contracted the virus and 98 have died. Sutter on Friday reported 17 new cases.

Neighboring Yuba County has reported 5,795 infections and 39 dead. The county added 8 new cases in Friday’s update.

Sutter County officials say 20 people are currently hospitalized, while Yuba County says 12 of its residents are hospitalized.

This story was originally published March 6, 2021 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: Newsom says 10 million vaccines have been administered in California."