Parts of this article (those related to lead) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021)
COVID-19 pandemic in California
A UC Davis engineer using COVID-19 testing equipment
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.
The COVID-19 pandemic in California began earlier than in some other parts of the United States. Ten of the first 20 confirmed COVID-19 infections in the United States were detected in California, and the first infection was confirmed on January 26, 2020.[6][7][8] All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing was restricted to this group, but there were some other people infected by that point. A state of emergency was declared in the state on March 4, 2020. A mandatory statewide stay-at-home order was issued on March 19, 2020; it was ended on January 25, 2021.[9] On April 6, 2021, the state announced plans to fully reopen the economy by June 15, 2021.[10]
As of June 16, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has reported 9,199,942 confirmed cumulative cases and 91,240 deaths in the state.[3] This was the highest number of confirmed cases in the United States, but because the state has the highest population of any US state, it also had one of the lowest rankings (41st highest out of 50 states) for confirmed cases per capita. It has the highest count of deaths related to the virus, but a relatively low (35th highest) count of deaths per capita.[11][12][13] As of June 15, 2021[update], California had administered 40,669,793 COVID-19 vaccine doses, the largest number of doses nationwide, and was one of the highest ranked (11th out of 50 states) in terms of per-capita dose administration.[14]
A bipartisan effort of politicians and owners of restaurants, bars, gyms, spas, and other small businesses harmed by lockdown restrictions attempted to recall Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021; he won the election with 66% support.[15][16]
California is the origin of the Epsilon variant of SARS-CoV-2, which, in March 2021, accounted for 35% of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state at that time.[17][18]
^On March 14, 2020, CDPH started reporting the numbers as of 6 PM instead of 8 AM. More cases may be reported due to a longer reporting interval that is more than 24 hours (i.e. 34 hours).
^On March 20, 2020, CDPH started reporting the numbers as of 2 PM instead of 6 PM. Fewer cases may be reported due to a shorter reporting interval that is less than 24 hours (i.e. 20 hours).
^CDPH did not report data on March 28, 2020. As a result, the reporting interval on March 29, 2020 is for 2 days (or 48 hours).
^On March 30, 2020, CDPH stopped reporting the exact time at which the statistics were tallied.
^The jump in deaths on February 24, 2021 was due to 806 backlogged deaths from Los Angeles County.
^The jump in cases on May 27, 2021 was due to 3,632 backlogged cases from Los Angeles County.
^The case count for June 26, 2021 includes a backlog of 546 cases from Riverside County.
^The case count for June 29, 2021 includes the removal of 6,372 cases.
^The final report from the CDPH was published on December 26, 2023. Fatality data continues to be reported to the CDC.
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: More recent events (especially Delta variant) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021)
Although later events suggested that COVID-19 had been present within California in December 2019,[19][20] the virus was not detected for the first time until late January 2020: On January 26, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case in California. The person, who had returned from travel to Wuhan, China, was released from the hospital in Orange County on February 1 in good condition to in-home isolation.[7] On January 31, the CDC confirmed the state's second case, a man in Santa Clara County, who had recently traveled to Wuhan.[21] The man recovered at home and was released from in-home isolation on February 20.[22]
On January 29, 2020, as disease containment protocols were still being developed, the U.S. Department of State evacuated 195 of its employees, their families, and other U.S. citizens from Hubei Province aboard a chartered flight to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.[23] There were concerns at the time that allowing Americans to return from overseas might spread COVID-19 within California and the rest of the US.[24][25]
On February 2, the CDC confirmed the state's third case in a woman in Santa Clara County, California, who had recently traveled to Wuhan.[26] On the same day, the CDC reported the country's tenth and eleventh cases in San Benito County, including the second known instance of human-to-human transmission.[27]
On February 6, 2020, a woman from San Jose, California became the first COVID-19 death in the U.S., though this was not discovered until April 2020. The case indicated community transmission had been happening undetected in the state and the U.S., most likely since December 2019.[19][20] On March 4, it was separately reported that the first coronavirus fatality in the state had instead occurred in Placer County.[29]
On February 15, the government evacuated 338 U.S. nationals stranded aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which had been held in quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.[30] Fourteen of those repatriated people were infected with the virus.[31] Five more nationals with COVID-19 were evacuated from the ship the following week and were quarantined at Travis Air Force Base; several more cases among the evacuees were later confirmed.[32]
On February 26, 2020, a confirmed case of unknown origin was announced about a resident of Solano County.[33][34] The UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento had asked the CDC to test for SARS-CoV-2, even though the person did not meet the CDC's criteria for testing at the time, which required a likely exposure to an infected person through either travel or close contact with someone known to have COVID-19. The CDC eventually agreed to do the test, which proved the person had COVID-19.[35] After this first confirmed case of community transmission in the U.S.,[36] the CDC revised its criteria for testing patients for SARS-CoV-2 and issued new guidelines for healthcare workers.[37]
On March 2, 2020, amidst concerns over the spread of coronavirus in the state, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California.[38] Newsom issued a mandatory statewide stay-at-home order on March 19, 2020; it would be ended 10 months later, on January 25, 2021.[9] This order caused the closure of schools, restaurants, meeting places, and many workplaces.
On March 24, a teenager who tested positive and died in Lancaster, part of Los Angeles County, appeared to have become the first individual in the U.S. under the age of 18 to die of COVID-19.[39][40] However, while he had COVID-19 at the time of his death, it is unclear whether COVID-19 caused his death.[41]
On June 18, 2020, Newsom ordered a statewide mask mandate due to the rising number of cases and deaths, requiring citizens to wear masks or other coverings in most public spaces with a few exceptions. Many local governments had previously dropped mandatory mask-wearing measures.[42] On July 9, he reported a new record number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state.[43] By July 22, California surpassed 409,000 COVID-19 cases, surpassing New York for the most in the nation.[44]
On August 19, 2020, Dr. Sonia Y. Angell resigned as the CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. Governor Gavin Newsom indicated Angell's resignation was related to data issues with the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) system that resulted in nearly 300,000 backlogged COVID-19 test results.[45] On August 10, 2020, Sandra Shewry was appointed as acting director and Dr. Erica Pan, California state epidemiologist, was named acting state public health officer.[46]
By September 3, 2020, Hispanic and Latino Americans comprised up to 60 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state, ostensibly due to the large population of the demographic and many of them being a part of the essential workforce.[47]Filipino Americans were the second-most affected, in part due to a high percentage of workers in healthcare on the frontlines, and as well as having a very high percentage of essential workers much like Latino Americans in California.[48]
On October 26, 2020, San Francisco and Oakland phased out Google's sister company Verily's COVID-19 testing system following concerns about patients’ data privacy and complaints about its funding, which despite intention to boost testing in low-income Black and Latino neighborhoods was benefiting higher-income residents in other communities.[49]
On December 30, 2020, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in Southern California.[50] On January 6, 2021, the CDC announced that it had found at least 26 confirmed cases of the more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant in California.[51] As of March 2, 2021, 189 sequences in the B.1.1.7 lineage have been detected in California since the lineage was first identified.[52]
As of March 2, 2021, 1,608 sequences in the B.1.427 lineage and 3,903 sequences in the B.1.429 lineage had been detected in California.[17][18]
California formerly had a strategic stockpile of medical supplies for responding to epidemics. In 2006, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered creation of an epidemic-ready medical equipment stockpile, including three 200-bed mobile hospitals with 50 million N95 respirators, 2,400 ventilators, and 21,000 additional patient beds.[53] Governor Jerry Brown cut the budget for warehousing and keeping up the reserve in 2011, responding to the Great Recession economic downturn.[54][55]
Personal protective equipment for healthcare workers[edit]
Nurses protesting a lack of N-95 masks at the UCLA Medical Center on April 13, 2020
As early as January 2020, a survey by the California Department of Public Health found that many Californian health care providers were having trouble obtaining adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gowns, and eye protection.[56] By mid-March, 2020, when Newsom issued the first statewide shelter-in-place order,[57] 220 of 292 California hospitals surveyed already reported that they were having to limit use of masks, often severely.[56] Even with limitations in place, Newsom estimated that California healthcare facilities were still using about 46 million masks each month during the pandemic.[58]
As safety equipment shortages continued throughout the first months of the pandemic,[59] many doctors, nurses and emergency medical service workers expressed fears and frustrations at being asked to reuse safety gear or wear homemade and less effective masks and at the overall lack of proper PPE, which does not provide adequate protection from COVID-19 exposure.[60][61][62][63][64][65] As of July 29, 2020[update], local agencies reported 127 deaths from a total of 23,513 confirmed positive cases among healthcare workers in California.[66]
Newsom's administration made several attempts to procure masks and other protective equipment for healthcare workers, including:
multiple attempts at large-scale mask purchases, including failed deals with Blue Flame Medical, which was investigated by the US Department of Justice,[67][68] and Bear Mountain Development Co.,[69] as well as a successful, if initially delayed, purchase from BYD;[58][70] and
a marketplace portal where individuals and businesses could offer PPE for donation or sale, attracting many small donations as well as fraudulent business posts that overwhelmed the site managers.[71][72][73]
As of July 22, 2020[update], California's stockpile reached approximately 86 million N-95 masks and 111 million surgical and procedural masks.[58]
The State of California loaned 500 ventilators to high need states in the east and midwest during the pandemic.
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021)
At the start of 2020, California had 416 hospitals, yielding a statewide capacity of about 78,000 staffed beds.[74] In mid-March, 2020, when the state was preparing for a surge of COVID-19 cases, Newsom submitted an unfulfilled request for 10,000 ventilators from the federal government.[74] The state government continued to acquire ventilators, but was able to flatten the curve enough that on April 6, 2020, California donated 500 ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile for use in other states.[75] As of July 13, 2020[update], hospitals statewide report that 36% of ICU beds were available still, as were 72% of ventilators. However, the hardest-hit counties were quickly reaching capacity and reportedly borrowing ventilators from neighboring hospitals to meet demand.[76]
In March 2020, there were calls for crowdsourcing on social media, to donate masks, goggles, or other equipment to healthcare professionals,[77] including from major medical centers.[78] Local public health offices started coordinating donation efforts.[79]
Maker Nexus, a non-profit maker space in Sunnyvale, began making face shields to donate to local hospitals and other health care facilities, using its 3D printers and laser cutters. They also worked with hundreds of individuals in the Bay Area with 3D printers at home, who then brought their produces to Maker Nexus for final assembly and delivery.[80][81][82][83][84] Together with other groups and individuals, the maker space also made cloth face masks to substitute for surgical masks in non-critical applications.[85]
Weekly cases leading up to stricter/lifted restrictions[86]
March 4, 2020
State of emergency declared.
March 12, 2020
Mass gatherings (over 250 people) and social gatherings (over 10 people) banned.
March 19, 2020
State-wide stay-at-home order issued.
781
March 24, 2020
Intakes in prisons and juvenile correction centers postponed.
April 1, 2020
Closure of all public and private schools (including institutions of higher education) ordered for the remainder of the 2019–2020 academic year.
6,865
April 9, 2020
State offered to pay hotel room costs for hospital and other essential workers afraid of returning home and infecting family members.
April 24, 2020
Program to deliver free meals to elderly residents announced.
April 29, 2020
Expansion of the state's Farm to Family program (which helps connect farmers to food banks) announced.
May 6, 2020
Worker's compensation extended for all workers who contracted COVID-19 during the state's stay-at-home order.
May 6, 2020
Property tax penalties waived for residents and small businesses that have been negatively affected by the pandemic.
May 7, 2020
State entered Stage 2 of its 4-stage reopening roadmap.
12,224
May 8, 2020
Executive order signed that would send every registered voter a mail-in ballot for the general election.
May 18, 2020
Businesses that are part of Stage 3 allowed to reopen.
12,615
May 26, 2020
Hair service businesses allowed to reopen (with restrictions).
16,107
June 18, 2020
Universal masking guidance issued by Department of Public Health.
23,701
June 28, 2020
Bars ordered to close in several counties.
37,842
July 1, 2020
Most indoor businesses, including restaurants, wineries, and movie theaters ordered to close in several counties.
43,420
July 13, 2020
Closure of gyms, indoor dining, bars, movie theaters, and museums re-imposed.
57,393
August 28, 2020
Unveiled a new set of guidelines for lifting restrictions, titled a "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" (BSE).
August 31, 2020
BSE county-level restrictions take effect. See below for initial classifications. More than 80% of population is under "Widespread" restrictions.
September 29, 2020
Majority of population now under "Substantial" or lower BSE restrictions.[A][B]
November 10, 2020
Majority of population back up to "Widespread" BSE restrictions.[A]
November 21, 2020
Nighttime curfew implemented for counties under "Widespread" BSE restrictions.
82,834
December 3, 2020
Regional stay-at-home orders announced.
December 7, 2020
Southern California and San Joaquin Valley regions under Regional stay-at-home order .
January 6, 2021
Golden State stimulus program announced.
January 25, 2021
Nighttime curfew and regional stay-at-home orders lifted.
116,992
March 13, 2021
Majority of population back under "Substantial" or lower BSE restrictions.[A]
April 6, 2021
Majority of population under "Moderate" or lower BSE restrictions.[A]
April 6, 2021
Plan for reopening the economy and scrapping the BSE system on June 15 announced.
18,822
April 29, 2021
$6.2 billion tax cut for small businesses signed into law.
May 10, 2021
California Comeback Plan announced.
May 27, 2021
Vax for the Win incentive program announced.
June 8, 2021
Majority of population under "Minimal" BSE restrictions.[A]
June 15, 2021
Retired the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Masks are still required in schools, on public transportation, such as buses, airplanes, the COASTER and the Pacific Surfliner. hospitals, prisons, and long-term care facilities require masks.
Education in California was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students in the state switched to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, although thousands of them lacked laptops and Wi-Fi.[91] By April 10, 2020, the only school remaining open in the state was Outside Creek Elementary, a school of 21 students in the San Joaquin Valley.[92] By April 29, the school closed indefinitely, making it the last school in the state to do so.[93]
K–12: On March 17, 2020, the California Department of Education provided guidance for K–12 schools.[94] This included information regarding: Distance learning,[95] resources that support distance learning,[96] remote learning guidance,[97] designing a high-quality online course,[98] grading and graduation requirements,[99] and internet access;[100]school meals;[101]Special education;[102]child care and student supervision in the event of a school closure; and parent resources. The state also authorized $5.3 billion in the 2020-21 budget for Learning Loss Mitigation Funds, designed to help schools improve teaching and learning and access to virtual school.[103]
California Community Colleges System (CCCS) issued guidance regarding Novel Coronavirus 2019.[104] On May 18, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley said that California's 115 community colleges will likely continue to offer their classes fully online in the fall, noting that many colleges in the system had already announced this intention. Oakley added that he fully encouraged this decision as he believes it "will be the most relevant way for us to continue to reach our students and to do it in a way that commits to maintaining equity for our students."[105]
California State University (CSU) system: On March 17, 2020, CSU issued a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including that "the CSU is following guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State".[106] The communication also included information regarding a plan for CSU's 23 campuses to accelerate their transition to online instruction.[107] On May 12, California State University Chancellor Timothy White announced that the CSU system would be offering fall 2020 courses primarily online "with some limited exceptions."[108] For spring 2020 alone, the CSU system was projecting a revenue loss of $337 million due to the pandemic, as a result of losses from student housing, parking and campus bookstores, combined with costs related to cleaning, overtime and the shift to distance education.[108]
University of California (UC) system: On April 2, 2020, UC president Janet Napolitano and the chancellors of the 10 campuses gave assurances to UC employees.[109] On April 6, 2020, the UC Health Data Initiative launched daily updates on COVID-19 tests.[110] On the same day, the UC launched a grant program to spur COVID-19 related research.[111] Pertinent information for students, faculty, staff, and community is available for each campus: UC Berkeley,[112]UC Davis,[113]UC Irvine,[114]UCLA,[115]UC Merced,[116]UC Riverside,[117]UC San Diego,[118]UC San Francisco,[119]UC Santa Barbara,[120] and UC Santa Cruz.[121] On May 20, University of California president Janet Napolitano told the UC Board of Regents that "every campus will be open and offering instruction" in fall 2020, adding that she "anticipates that most, if not all of our campuses, will operate in some kind of hybrid mode" involving a mix of online and in-person instruction.[122] From the time that UC campuses shut down in mid-March through the end of April, the UC system experienced a $1.2 billion loss due to the pandemic.[122]
During the initial lockdowns, county jails took steps to reduce the number of people in jail, hoping that this would reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections spreading through the jails.[123][124] Some inmates developed COVID-19.[124] Other measures undertaken included in-cell meals, preventing visitors, and suspension of activity programs.[125]
In the state prisons, factories continued operations even after COVID-19 outbreaks happened in the prisons.[126] Rehab programs, religious services, and educational classes were all stopped, but the prison factories continued operating, where inmates worked for hours without wearing masks.[126]
Various faith organizations claim that social distancing orders issued by the state violated the constitutional right to freedom of religion and assembly. Bans of all gatherings, no matter the size, outside of places of residences put in place by local authorities were also challenged.[127]
On March 13, the Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California closed all diocesan schools from until at least April 20. It suspended public Masses and dispensed with the obligation to attend Mass from March 14 until furthe
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