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California deaths high even as virus case rates plummet

The 6,760 new confirmed cases reported Sunday are more than 85% below the mid-December peak of about 54,000 in one day.

CALIFORNIA, USA — California's death toll during the coronavirus pandemic has topped 49,000, even as the rates of new infections and hospitalizations continue to plummet across the state. 

“They break your heart because there’s a human being behind every single one of those stats,” Governor Gavin Newsom said on Sunday. The governor made the remarks after appearing at a vaccine site in Inglewood. 

Health officials said Sunday that the number of patients in California hospitals with COVID-19 has slipped below 7,000, a drop of more than a third over two weeks. 

The 6,760 new confirmed cases reported Sunday are more than 85% below the mid-December peak of about 54,000 in one day.

Total cases are approaching 3.45 million. The positivity rate for people being tested has been falling for weeks, which means fewer people will end up in hospitals.

On Twitter, the governor added that the positivity rate had dropped from 9.3% to 3.1% in the span of a month.

In regard to vaccine, Gov. Newsom said the state will still have challenges with vaccine scarcity into March and April, but he's forecasting a different outlook once May, June and July come around. 

“I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel. I see bright light at the end of the tunnel. I see things truly turning around," Newsom said.

According to Gov. Newsom, California has administered 7.3 million vaccines as of Sunday.

During the press conference, the governor said about 702,000 vaccines were impacted by severe weather. While the delay in vaccine is a point of consideration as the state ramps up vaccinations, Newsom said the vaccination capacity continues to be built.

“The only constraint on being able to move at the speed... and the scale we all demand and expect is manufacturing supply,” he said.

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