The first Coronavirus case in California was confirmed on Jan. 25, 2020. It took 292 days for the infection rate to reach 1 million on Nov. 11, and 44 days to reach 2 million.
According to Tuesday’s state dashboard, which was delayed by the holiday weekend, California became the first state to record at least 5 million Coronavirus infections. The state of California has recorded over 75,500 deaths resulting from Covid-19.
A report by the California Department of Public Health indicated that the grim milestone wasn’t entirely surprising in a state where 40 million residents faced new infections as holiday parties and family gatherings were forced indoors during a series of winter storms.
California is also ahead of other large states in caseloads. Texas had over 4.4 million cases and Florida had more than 3.9 million as of Sunday.
The state has fared better than several other states dealing with a coronavirus outbreak. However, the Northeast and Midwest have seen a disproportionate number of cases and hospitalizations amid frigid temperatures that have kept people indoors.
It was reported in the last week that California had 16.4 new cases per 100,000 residents, slightly less than a third of the national rate. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the state as one of places with “high” transmission of the virus.
In California, Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have been rising slowly, up about 12% in the last week to 4,401, which is less than half of what they were during the late summer peak and a fifth of what they were one year ago, before vaccines were widely available.
As a result of the rising caseload, San Francisco cancelled its New Year’s Eve fireworks show Tuesday, and Contra Costa County in the Bay Area announced Wednesday that masks will be required in all public indoor areas.
