Long Beach officials say they confirmed nearly 300 new cases of COVID-19 since Saturday, making the total number of new cases over the weekend a staggering 820.
That’s the largest number of cases over any weekend since the beginning of the pandemic, underscoring health officials’ urging for residents to stay home as much as possible.
The city’s seven-day average positivity rate also rose significantly over the weekend, from 6.8% to 8.4%. The positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for COVID-19 out of those who are tested.
To battle the surge gripping most of the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regional stay-at-home order went into effect just before midnight Sunday, after the Southern California region’s intensive care unit bed availability fell below 15% on Saturday. The region’s available ICU capacity was 10.9% as of Sunday night.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise. Long Beach officials reported that 173 coronavirus patients are hospitalized in the area, an uptick from 163 people on Saturday and 140 reported Friday.
County health director Barbara Ferrer on Monday begged residents to follow public health restrictions, as to not overwhelm hospitals.
Long Beach’s daily number of cases per 100,000 residents rose from 36.7 on Friday to 41.7 on Monday.
City officials have not reported any new deaths since Thursday, leaving the total at 282. However, officials in the past have warned that deaths are a lagging indicator.