The number of coronavirus cases in the state of California has skyrocketed to more than 2,200 as cities on the West Coast scramble to enforce lockdowns, manufacture medical supplies, procure hospital beds and slow the spread of COVID-19.
In San Francisco, the first city in the US to go on lockdown, officials warn ‘the worst is yet to come’ and a surge in cases is expected in a week or two.
Despite the unfolding crisis, crowds of bold locals have continued to gather at public beaches and parks across the state in defiance of warnings to stay at home.
As of Tuesday in Los Angeles County there are 536 cases and eight deaths, in San Francisco there are 131 cases and no deaths, in Santa Clara there are 321 cases and 13 deaths related to the virus.
Statewide there are 2,220 confirmed cases and there have been 43 deaths.
‘The worst is yet to come,’ San Francisco Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said during a news conference on Monday.
The number of coronavirus cases in the state of California has skyrocketed to more than 2,200 as cities in the West Coast scramble to impose lockdowns, urge the public to stay indoors and brace for a surge in cases. Defiant locals pictured at Baker Beach near the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday, ignoring orders to stay at home to curb the spread of the virus
This map shows some of the California cities grappling with the coronavirus outbreak. In San Francisco there are 131 cases and 0 deaths, in Los Angeles 540 cases and eight deaths, and in Santa Clara 321 cases and 13 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. Statewide there are over 2,200 cases and 43 deaths
A sign announcing the closure of the Koret Playground is seen in Golden Gate Park as California continues its statewide ‘stay at home order’ to curb the public from loitering outside and potentially spreading COVID-19
People pictured waiting in line to check-in at a coronavirus testing center at the Hayward Fire Station #7 in Hayward, California on Monday as the state case toll surpasses 2,000
Workers sanitize streets where homeless people were living on March 20 in San Francisco
‘Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized. We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon, in a week or two, or perhaps even less.’
Governor Gavin Newsom mandated a statewide shelter-in-place order on Thursday March 19, following the steps of Bay Area leaders.
LA County is also bracing for the worst as their case numbers rise with alarming speed.
On March 6, there were five people in the county hospitalized with the novel coronavirus. Two weeks later that number had jumped to 48. By Monday, the total had climbed to 90, according to the Los Angeles Times.
And it’s not just the elderly who are getting sick with COVID-19. In Los Angeles County 80 percent of the cases involve patients between the ages of 18 to 65 and 42 percent are in the 18 to 40 age group.
San Francisco has taken great measures to slow the spread of the virus.
A shelter in place order was placed in the city on Tuesday March 17 that will last until April 7 in an effort to contain the contagious virus. Under the shelter in place orders residents must remain indoors except to get groceries and medicine.
As of Tuesday there are more than 46,000 cases of the killer virus in the US and there have been at least 586 deaths
This chart shows how the number of COVID-19 infections has surged per day
This chart shows how the number of deaths due to COVID-19 have surged this month
On Monday, Gov. Newsom said the state needs an additional 50,000 hospital beds to respond to the outbreak. The Democratic governor said the state’s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40 percent of their capacity. A testing center in Hayward, California above Monday
Despite orders to stay home some locals continued to head outside. People pictured walking at a safe distance from one another on Venice Beach in California on Monday
The order affects some 6.7million people. Under a full lockdown order people would be further enforced to stay home and require government permission to leave their homes.
However, residents have continued to gather in great numbers in public, prodding San Francisco Mayor London Breed to close down playgrounds and threatened to close other public spaces.
‘This is not the time to be hanging out at the park. This is not the time to be visiting friends. You can go outside for essential needs or to get some quick exercise, but then you need to return home. Simply put, go outside as little as possible. Stay home. Save lives,’ Breed tweeted Monday.
San Francisco has banned practically all visitors to hospitals and long-term facilities and cancelled elective surgeries and routine medical visits.
Los Angeles County has similarly shut down Laguna Beach to stop revelers from gathering.
Los Angeles County is seeing a rise in coronavirus cases and is bracing for a wave of extremely sick patients.
On Monday, Newsom said the state needs an additional 50,000 hospital beds to respond to the outbreak.
The Democratic governor said the state’s 416 hospitals were doubling so-called surge plans to 40 percent of their capacity.
The hospital system alone will provide 30,000 beds in its plan to tackle the surge of COVID-19 cases.
On Monday, Newsom said the state needs an additional 50,000 hospital beds to respond to the outbreak, bracing for a surge in COVID-19 patients
‘This is not the time to be hanging out at the park. This is not the time to be visiting friends. You can go outside for essential needs or to get some quick exercise, but then you need to return home. Simply put, go outside as little as possible. Stay home. Save lives,’ Breed tweeted Monday
Newsom shared this notice after placing a stay at home order, meaning only essential services like pharmacies and groceries stores will remain open
A movie theater sign in Los Angeles urges the public to practice social distancing
The state will seek to acquire 17,000 beds from outside the state hospital system through hotels, motels, fairgrounds, convention centers, and other facilities.
He also announced that state park and beaches parking lots would close in an effort to cur residents from loitering in parks and to encourage social distancing.
‘We have numbers that are substantially higher if we don’t,’ Newsom said Monday. ‘We can’t bend the curve if everyone is out.’
The state is also expanding production efforts to manufacture 1 billion globes, 500 million N-95 masks and 200 million shields.
On Monday, the California National Guard said it would be deployed across the state for humanitarian purposes to distribute food and medical supplies and help with food banks and aid officials on the Grand Princess cruise ship.
On Friday, President Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would ship mobile hospital units to California within the next 48 hours.
The state is in line to get eight of those units, which will provide 2,000 beds.
The Navy hospital ship Mercy, which is based in San Diego, has also been deployed to Los Angeles to relieve the burden from local hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and take in patients suffering from other medical issues.
Compared to the rest of the country California has the fourth largest concentrations of COVID-19 behind New York, New Jersey and Washington state.