COVID-19 live updates: New single-day record in deaths in CA since start of pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact across the world and also in cities across Northern California. The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at the CDC’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. page. (The CDC updates the webpage on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)

Join anchor Kristen Sze for ABC7’s daily interactive newscast about the novel coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area and other hot topics. You can check here to stream the show Monday-Friday at 3 p.m.

Here are the latest developments on the respiratory illness in the U.S.:

Jan. 9, 2021

11 a.m.
New single-day record in deaths in CA since start of pandemic

Nearly 700 deaths have been reported in California breaking a new single-day record, according to state officials. The last highest single-day record was 585 deaths in the state on December 31, 2020.

Meanwhile, more than 52,000 new daily cases have been reported in the state which is the second highest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the latest state numbers:

New Cases: 52,636 (2,621,277 total)
7-day average: 39,338
14-day average: 39,187
Deaths: 695 (RECORD)
7-day average: 411
14-day average: 375
7-day positivity rate: 14%
14-day positivity rate: 14%
Hospitalizations: 21,754 (down 101 from yesterday)
ICU: 4,854 (up 42 from yesterday)

Jan. 8, 2021

12 p.m.
Bay Area ICU capacity drops to 3%
Here are the latest regional ICU capacity numbers:
Bay Area: 3.0% – the lowest since tracking started
Northern California: 27.5%
Greater Sacramento: 6.4%
San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
Southern California: 0.0%

11 a.m.
Alarming new COVID-19 data shows massive winter surge in Bay Area
Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, new COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area are increasing at an alarming clip. On Friday, the Bay Area crossed the 300,000-case threshold. We added those additional 100,000 cases shockingly fast — in just 24 days. See more data here.

9 a.m.
Joe Biden to speed release of COVID-19 vaccines upon taking office
President-elect Joe Biden will release most available COVID-19 vaccine doses to speed delivery to more people, a reversal of the Trump administration policy, his office said. Get the full story here.

6 a.m.
Bay Area’s stay-at-home order likely to be extended
The Bay Area’s stay-at-home order will likely be extended beyond today. ICU capacity has dropped to its lowest availability at 3.5% percent. The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions continue to have no I-C-U availability. Zero percent doesn’t mean there are no beds – but rather hospitals have activated surge plans. Here are the latest county ICU totals in the Bay Area.

5 a.m.
Bay Area surges past 300,000 cases, nears 3,000 deaths
The Bay Area has pushed past more than 300,000 cases and is nearing 3,000 deaths.Here are the latest county-by-county totals.

Jan. 7, 2021

12:30 p.m.
California sees 2-day record of coronavirus deaths
California health authorities reported a record two-day total of 1,042 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strain under unprecedented caseloads. The state Department of Public Health’s website listed 583 new deaths, a day after 459 deaths. The previous two-day record total was 1,013 deaths at the end of December. Get the full story here.

6:30 a.m.
Santa Clara Co. warns about emergency room delays
As a surge in COVID-19 cases continues, Santa Clara County officials are warning the public about delays for getting treated at in local emergency rooms. The emergency room is full At Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. Some patients have to wait an indefinite amount of time to receive care. As hospitals take on additional COVID-19 patients that means less room for those suffering from other issues, such as heart attacks or strokes. As of the latest update… more than 720 people are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 countywide.

Jan. 6, 2021

12 p.m.
Dr. Ghaly to give update on COVID-19
California’s health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly is speaking at noon alongside Department of Aging Director Kim McCoy Wade to give an update on COVID-19.

7:45 a.m.
SF approves $5 million fee waiver for small businesses
A fee waiver totaling $5 million was approved for restaurants and entertainment venues in San Francisco. It helps with costs like permit fees, business registration fees and taxes.

6:30 a.m.
Calif. orders some hospitals to stop elective surgeries
Some elective surgeries in California will be postponed again because of the extreme shortage of ICU beds. A new state order says non-essential surgeries will be delayed when a county is in a region with 0% ICU availability and that specific county has less than 10% ICU availability. Right now, that includes 14 counties in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions.

Jan. 5, 2021

3 p.m.
Kaiser Permanente San Jose COVID-19 outbreak linked to 51 cases, county health department says
The coronavirus outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center’s emergency department is now linked to 51 cases, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said. The outbreak was first reported on Saturday with 43 cases and the hospital confirmed that one employee died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. Read more here.

2 p.m.
CA reports 31,440 new COVID-19 cases
California reported 31,440 new cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, with 368 deaths. There were 21,597 hospitalizations with 4,634 in the ICU.

Latest regional ICU capacity numbers:
Bay Area: 5.9%

Northern California: 29.8%
Greater Sacramento: 11.7%
San Joaquin Valley: 0.0%
Southern California: 0.0%

12 p.m.
Grammy Awards postponed until March due to COVID-19 pandemic conditions
The 2021 Grammy Awards will no longer take place this month in Los Angeles and will broadcast in March due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. Get the full story here.

10:45 a.m.
Solano Co. reports 1,742 new cases
Solano County is reporting 1,742 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours and two more deaths.

5:10 a.m.
US reports over 180,000 new cases
There were 180,477 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Monday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Monday’s tally is less than the all-time high of 297,491 new cases, which the country logged on Jan. 2, Johns Hopkins data shows.

Jan. 4, 2021

12:15 p.m.
UK prime minister orders new national coronavirus lockdown
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new version of the coronavirus. Get the full story here.

7:10 a.m.
Lafayette’s Business Assistance Program starts up again today
Some East Bay businesses are getting financial help to stay afloat. The city of Lafayette’s Business Assistance Program starts up again today. It ran for five months at the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly 100 businesses and non-profits each received more than $1,500 in federal assistance. The Mayor of Lafayette will host a webinar this week to provide information about the new funding.

Jan. 3, 2021

11:55 p.m.
1 dead, 44 emergency staff at San Jose hospital infected with COVID-19
An employee working in Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center’s emergency department on Christmas Day has died from COVID-19 complications, the hospital told ABC7 News on Sunday night. In respect for the patient’s family and privacy, hospital officials are not releasing more information. Earlier in the day, officials said the COVID-19 count in the department increased to 44 infected staff members.

8:15 p.m.
Ambulances wait hours to offload patients at Bay Area hospitals
The novel coronavirus pandemic is causing massive wait-times at Santa Clara County hospitals. The Santa Clara Public Health department says “on several occasions over the past week,” ambulances have waited up to seven hours to get a patient into the emergency department. The extended wait times are “largely due to the significant volume of patients at hospitals, which have been heavily affected by the increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.” Read more here.

1 p.m.
Santa Clara County businesses must close employee break rooms under COVID-19 restrictions
Santa Clara County health officials kicked off 2021 by adding new restrictions on businesses — they must now close their employee breakrooms. According to the changes, made on Dec. 31, businesses in Silicon Valley must “prohibit personnel from using any indoor breakrooms or break areas for eating or drinking — even if they’re alone at the time.” Read more here.

11a.m.
CA reports more than 45,000 new cases of COVID-19
California reported 45,352 cases of COVID-19 cases on Saturday, fewer cases than what the state saw on Friday. Another 181 people died on Saturday, marking a total of 26,538 deaths since the pandemic began. A total of 20,690 people are hospitalized statewide with more than 4,500 in the ICU.

9:30 a.m.
U.S sets pandemic travel record
The U.S. set a record for air travel on Saturday with nearly 1.2 million screened by the TSA, the most since the previous travel record set on Dec. 23.

Jan. 2, 2021

8:40 p.m.
COVID-19 outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center’s emergency department
43 staff members at Kaiser’s San Jose emergency department have tested positive for COVID-19 between Dec. 27 and Jan. 1, Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager of he hospital said in a statement. The hospital is investigating the outbreak and says the spread “may” have been caused by an employee who appeared briefly in the department wearing an “air-powered” costume on Christmas day.

Chavez told ABC7 News, “Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time.” Read more here.

4:30 p.m.
SF Main Library’s to-go service suspended due to COVID-19 concerns
San Francisco’s Main Library has stopped its to-go service this weekend due to a possible case of COVID-19 involving a staff member. The service will be suspended until Sunday, Dec. 3. The library’s TIP line service will also be suspended too.

2:50 p.m.
Bay Area ICU capacity drops further
The Bay Area’s available ICU capacity has dropped to 5.1%, as of Saturday afternoon. The San Joaquin Vallejo and Southern California regions have no remaining ICU beds, while Northern California has 32.6%, according to the state.

11 a.m.
California records 2nd highest new case total in single day
California reported another 53,341 new cases of COVID-19 on New Year’s Day, the second highest case total in a single day since the pandemic began last year. According to state data released, another 386 people died on New Year’s Day in California and more than 20,000 remain hospitalized. A total of 4,531 are in ICUs across the state.

Jan. 1, 2021

11:40 a.m.
CA reports record number of COVID-19 deaths in single day
California reported another 47,189 new cases on New Year’s Eve, bringing the state’s total to nearly 2.3 million COVID-19 cases. A record 585 people died of the virus on Thursday, the most number of fatalities in a single day to date. A total of 20,540 remain hospitalized in California, with 4,525 in the ICU.

11:25 a.m.
US hits 20 million mark in COVID-19 cases
The number of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases has surpassed 20 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That’s nearly twice as many as the No. 2 country, India, and nearly one-quarter of the more than 83 million cases globally.

8:30 a.m.
VTA seeks vaccination priority for transit workers
Valley Transportation Authority’s top official is asking Governor Newsom to prioritize public transit workers for COVID-19 vaccinations. General Manager and CEO Nuria Fernandez sent a letter to the governor calling transit workers a lifeline to serving other essential workers, the elderly and those with disabilities. He noted that VTA makes 33,000 trips a day. Fernandez wrote, “we believe it would be a significant mistake for the state to fail to include public transit workers in Phase 1B of the state’s vaccine distribution plan.”

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