Increase in COVID Hospitalization During Winter Warnings in California

Mar, 2022 - By WMR

The number of Californians infected and hospitalized with Covid-19 has risen in the past two weeks, which could worsen, albeit slightly.

California is fighting with the continued spread of the Omicron variant. Though this condition is slight, but may worsen in winter. Despite the recent surge, both the metrics are much lower than the catastrophic numbers of last winter's growth when the explosive growth of coronavirus devastated the state. But the combination of current conditions and precautions around the coming weeks has already prompted authorities to issue new health restrictions and organizers to cancel, postpone or re-calibrate some sports competitions and vacations. The result is Christmas time, not on the standstill seen last year in California, but on a square where residents are not told what they can't do, but are urged to take all possible precautions.

Health experts have long warned that the change of seasons could exacerbate the coronavirus crisis, and that it was before the troubling mutated omicron strain came into view. The risk of infection is generally higher as cold weather is increasingly gathering and pushing entertainment into the home. According to the latest state statistics, unvaccinated Californians are seven times more likely to develop COVID-19, 13 times more likely to be hospitalized and 16 times more likely to die from the disease. The arrival of Omicron has increased the call for people in California to get their initial shots and booster doses.

While the science surrounding this new strain is far from stabilizing, it seems to be gaining momentum rapidly. Omicron accounted for about 73% of new infections across the country last week, according to modelling by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventive measures now include a state-wide mask order for indoor public spaces that went into effect last week. Health officials have described such regulations as helping to spread the stemmy coronavirus without adopting the strict restrictions and bans marked earlier in the California epidemic response. Although officials have long warned of the possibility of a winter coronavirus outbreak in California, the actual days and weeks to come will be determined.