The United States has passed the milestone of 500,000 coronavirus fatalities this week, with Californians accounting for one in every 10 American deaths. That’s more than twice the fatalities registered in Brazil, which ranks second on the list. The death toll for California is inching towards 50,000. Thanks to shelter in place orders, the daily average of deaths has plummeted to 40% fewer than its peak a month ago, but the virus is still killing twice as many Californians than any time prior to December. More than 60% of our state's fatalities have come since the start of December. The good news is virus transmission is diminishing, along with a drop in hospitalizations, and more state residents are getting vaccinated by the day. We must keep up this progress by wearing a face covering outside of your home, limiting interactions with people outside of your household and social distancing from others.
“Let this not be a story of how far we fell but how far we climbed back up.” - President Joe Biden
