California distributes 5,000 body bags to counties amid 'most intense' COVID-19 surge
Due to the surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday said the state ordered 5,000 additional body bags and 60 refrigerated trucks to deal with the increase in deaths.
California recorded 32,326 new COVID-19 cases and 142 deaths on Tuesday, and its 14-day average positivity rate is 10.7 percent; two weeks ago, the rate was 6.9 percent. This is the "most intense" surge since the beginning of the pandemic, Newsom said.
Over the last week, California has reported an average of 163 deaths a day from COVID-19, four times the daily average a month ago. To handle the increase in deaths, the state recently bought 5,000 body bags to deliver to Inyo, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties, where there are fewer than 100 intensive care unit beds available for the county's 10 million residents. Statewide, ICU capacity is at 5.7 percent.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There are 60 53-foot refrigerated storage units on standby across California, should hospitals and counties need extra room outside of morgues for bodies. "This is a deadly disease and we need to be mindful of where we are," Newsom said. "We are not at the finish line yet." A health-care worker in Los Angeles County was the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the state on Monday, and officials said by Wednesday, 33 hospitals in California should have doses of the vaccine.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Georgia's new foreign influence bill
Under the Radar Critics claim the 'Russian law' could stifle dissent and wreck the country's chances of joining the EU
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published