Photo: AFP
The State of California has surpassed six million COVID cases since the start of the pandemic.
Health officials reported more than 308,000 new cases of the virus on Monday, with over 11,000 patients in California hospitals. California Public Health Director Mark Ghaly says the rate of people hospitalized with the virus is lower because of the vaccine, but the high number of cases means the healthcare system is still under pressure. “When we look at what is happening as regards to COVID, we know hundreds of thousands of Californians [are] becoming infected,” Ghaly said Monday. “Thankfully, because of the high level of immunity and vaccination protection, the rate of hospitalization is lower, but that’s with that sheer number of cases. Even with a lower percentage being hospitalized, it still means quite a bit of work, quite a bit of pressure on our healthcare delivery system.”
With nearly 20% of all hospitalizations in the country complications related to COVID-19, many hospitals nationwide have already suspended non-essential procedures as cases continue to rise unabated due to the Omicron variant spreading in high numbers since winter. The state has also reported more than a million new COVID cases since November 18th. These numbers also follow the newly announced mandates allowing non-symptomatic healthcare workers to remain working even if they test positive for COVID.