The rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to fall across California, but the state's death toll remains persistently high.
California on Sunday reported another 408 deaths, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly 47,000 — the highest in the nation.
Despite the grim death count, health officials are confident that California is emerging from its worst surge of the pandemic.
The number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 slipped below 9,000 statewide. That’s a drop of more than a third over two weeks, according to the state Department of Public Health.
A few more numbers for you: There were less than 9,000 new confirmed cases on Sunday — that’s more than 80% below the mid-December peak of about 54,000. There are now nearly 3.4 million cases in the state.
The positivity rate for people being tested has been falling for weeks, which means fewer people will end up in hospitals.
California continues to struggle with vaccine shortages that are hindering efforts to inoculate substantial numbers in the state of nearly 40 million residents. Nearly 5.8 million vaccine shots have been administered to date, but mass vaccination centers aren’t operating close to full capacity because there aren't enough doses.
