The Bay Area sees a steady rise in its coronavirus cases amid the slow reopening of businesses and establishments, one that analysts have expected but are still troubled to witness.
Experts anticipate the rise to be the third prolonged increase of infections amid the steady decline in temperature in the region. Forecasters expect the weather to help keep people inside their homes, hindering the spread of the virus before the holiday season arrives.
The chaotic presidential elections also undermined the sudden increase of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area. The situation has not been openly reported by the media, and citizens have not taken an interest in it similar to the previous ones. Records on the national level show that cases have seen a daily record-high.
The middle of October saw the beginning of the sudden rise in coronavirus cases. However, California and the Bay Area have been able to reduce the spike of infections that other states have experienced.
Nine of the Bay Area counties recorded nearly 3,800 new cases by the last week of October. The numbers showed an increase of about 34% from the previous 2,800 recorded in the week that ended on October 17.
During the same period, California reported 34% more new cases, tallying a total of 28,300 in the last week of October. The state previously recorded 21,200 new infections during the week ending on October 17.
On Friday, John Hopkins University data showed that coronavirus infections across the United States reached a staggering 121,890 new cases with a record of 1,210 new fatalities, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom provided an update on Monday of California’s response plan to the COVID-19 virus. The official emphasized the state’s increasing number of new cases and hospitalization rates would most likely continue.
Records showed 7,682 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, while 24 people died in California within the same period. Officials also revealed the seven-day positivity rate was 3.9% while the 14-day positivity rate was 3.4%. On October 19, Newsom told reporters that the positivity rate was only 2.5%.
On Sunday, public health officials revealed that California had 17,963 coronavirus fatalities since it began in March.
Governor Newsom criticized the Trump administration’s attempt at removing the Affordable Care Act. He noted that should the court rule Obamacare out; it would cause approximately 61 million residents of his state who have pre-existing conditions to be severely affected.
The official added California would lose up to $20 billion in federal funding meant for 3.5 million residents in the Medi-Cal expansion and $7 billion federal premium assistance that supports 1.35 million individuals in the region, the NBC Bay Area reported.
Public health officials also urged citizens who planned to travel outside the region to quarantine themselves for two weeks when they return. Governor Newsom added that the Halloween celebration could have also played a factor in increasing the number of COVID-19 infections.
Health director for Los Angeles County Barbara Ferrer advised residents who were out during the weekend to celebrate Joe Biden’s apparent win to quarantine inside their homes. She urged supporters to avoid fueling the potential spread of the virus.
Ferrer added that the increasing number of positive cases undermined the hopes that the region was recovering from the pandemic. “And many of these cases stem from people taking risks that are frankly not appropriate,” she said.
Despite California seeing much fewer cases compared to other states in the region, the sudden surge of new infections have caused anxiety to spread.
Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said the sudden spike of coronavirus cases was the last thing they wanted to see during the holiday season preparations. Her area recorded 358 new cases on Sunday, which is the second-highest it has reported since the beginning of the health crisis, ABC News reported.
