California is the first state to record more than 3 million cases
The number of cases in the nation’s most populated state has tripled in just the past two months.
Hospitals throughout the state remain overwhelmed with patients seeking treatment. Covid-19 hospitalizations have dropped to just under 21,000 patients, but the number of available ICU beds remain incredibly low. There are just 1,113 ICU beds available statewide.
About 90% of the state remains under stay-at-home orders due in part to limited intensive care unit capacity. Regions of the state are eligible to have the order lifted once four-week projections show an ICU capacity of more than 15% available.
But after requests from both the county coroner and health department, the agency issued an emergency order suspending permit conditions that limit the number of cremations, as long as crematoriums submit an email notice and meet certain requirements.
On Saturday, the LA County Department of Public Health confirmed the county’s first case of the Covid-19 variant B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom. The health department said the presence of the UK variant “means virus transmission can happen more easily.”
“Residents must more diligently follow the safety measures put in place to prevent additional cases, hospitalizations, and death,” the health department wrote in its news release.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest public school district, has requested authorization from state and local officials to administer the Covid-19 vaccine, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday.
“In a typical community we serve, there are about three drugstores, 2 fire stations, and 25 schools,” he said. “No organization has the infrastructure to provide easier access to vaccinations than schools.”
Testing in the Golden State ramped up over the weekend with more than 427,000 tests conducted in a single day. California’s two-week positivity rate continues its slow slide downward and stands at 12.2%. Just over a week ago, the positivity rate reached 14%, the highest percentage seen since widespread testing began.
California recorded its first coronavirus case on January 26, 2020.
CNN’s Douglas Wood, Hira Humayun and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.
