INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. TEO: OK, THANK YOU. DEIRDRE: LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE TOP CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES. TEO: HEALTH OFFICIALS WILL GIVE US ANOTHER UPDATE AT NOON. A WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 JUST A COUPLE DAYS AFTER IN CLASS SCHOOL RESUMED. NINE OTHERS WHO HAD CLOSE CONTACT WILL BE IN QUARANTINE PER SCHOOL SAFETY PROTOCOLS. AND HONG KONG DISNEYLAND REOPENED TODAY AS NEW CASES NEAR ZERO. DEIRDRE: HERE IS A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. ACCORDING TO JOHNS HOPKINS, THE U.S. RECORDED 45,000 NEW CASES OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS, AND IS ON PACE TO HIT THE 7 MILLION MARK TOD
State health secretary expresses concern over COVID-19 trends
Updated: 2:59 PM PDT Sep 25, 2020
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly hosted a video conference Friday where he expressed concern about COVID-19 trends in California. Ghaly said that California has seen declining case rates, test positivity rates and hospitalizations in recent weeks. California’s seven-day average of new cases is 3,458 and the 14-day positivity rate is 3%. Those numbers are down significantly since California’s coronavirus peak in July. He noted, however, that current COVID-19 data is a concern. Wildfires, which prompted evacuations for thousands, Labor Day and some counties lifting restrictions are believed to be linked to a slight increase in case rates across the state. | MORE | Click here to see the full video conferenceNew hospitalizations have also been on the rise, and short-term forecasts predict an 89% increase in hospitalizations in a month. “We’ve seen that before, we’ve done a good job to bring it down and certainly our hospital system, with the wonderful partners we have, are able to take care of that level of patients with need,” Ghaly said. “That said, we’ve never done COVID hospitalizations with flu hospitalizations.”COVID-19-related emergency room visits have also seen an uptick. “We see these trend lines, which had been coming down and then flattening, now looking like they may be coming up, and not just over one or two days but over the course of a handful of days, we want to sound that bell for all of you,” he said. With the current data in mind, Ghaly urged Californians to continue to wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands, minimize mixing and to get a flu shot.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly hosted a video conference Friday where he expressed concern about COVID-19 trends in California.
Ghaly said that California has seen declining case rates, test positivity rates and hospitalizations in recent weeks. California’s seven-day average of new cases is 3,458 and the 14-day positivity rate is 3%. Those numbers are down significantly since California’s coronavirus peak in July.
He noted, however, that current COVID-19 data is a concern. Wildfires, which prompted evacuations for thousands, Labor Day and some counties lifting restrictions are believed to be linked to a slight increase in case rates across the state.
| MORE | Click here to see the full video conference
New hospitalizations have also been on the rise, and short-term forecasts predict an 89% increase in hospitalizations in a month.
“We’ve seen that before, we’ve done a good job to bring it down and certainly our hospital system, with the wonderful partners we have, are able to take care of that level of patients with need,” Ghaly said. “That said, we’ve never done COVID hospitalizations with flu hospitalizations.”
COVID-19-related emergency room visits have also seen an uptick.
“We see these trend lines, which had been coming down and then flattening, now looking like they may be coming up, and not just over one or two days but over the course of a handful of days, we want to sound that bell for all of you,” he said.
With the current data in mind, Ghaly urged Californians to continue to wear a mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands, minimize mixing and to get a flu shot.