As Coronavirus Cases Spike, California’s Early Gains Are Coming Undone
California’s new COVID-19 cases have struck a record high and hospitalizations are up. A state that released early stay-at-home orders is now struggling to restore control of the virus.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
California was one of the states that issued early stay-at-home orders throughout the pandemic.
JACKIE FORTIER, BYLINE: Looking around Sycamore Grove Park in northeast Los Angeles, you would not know the area has actually seen an unsafe increase in new coronavirus cases.
SARAH SCHWARTZ: There’s kids on scooters wearing masks. Like, they’re doing it.
FORTIER: Schwartz is among 10s of countless individuals in LA’s financially rewarding show business who saw their jobs vanish in March. That’s when the state was effectively closed down by among the country’s very first stay-at-home orders, issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
S SCHWARTZ: I’m a producer and actress, so both tasks that don’t exist today.
FORTIER: The stay-at-home order is commonly credited with buying California important time to slow the virus’ spread and prevent massive death tolls like in New York and New Jersey. Just recently, Governor Newsom has enabled counties to resume at a much faster speed than initially prepared.
With Hollywood opening up, Schwartz is going back to work after months of little earnings, but she’s afraid of getting sick.
S SCHWARTZ: I did simply book a commercial, so I’ll be on set next week.
FORTIER: It’s simple to see why. California has actually gone from coronavirus success story to cautionary tale as new cases hit record day-to-day highs and the number of individuals requiring hospitalizations has increased. Robert Kim-Farley, a public health professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, says the stay-at-home order did what it was supposed to do and blunted the pandemic in California. However because Governor Newsom unveiled his fast-tracked resuming plan in early May, the death toll has actually soared.
ROBERT KIM-FARLEY: I believe California’s location at the minute is definitely Los Angeles County with the large percentage of the deaths and cases in the state. Of course, it is the biggest county with some 10 million population.
FORTIER: In California, young people are driving coronavirus transmission while rates among older folks are dropping. Individuals ages 18 to 49 account for more than half of positive COVID cases in the state when they’re simply 44%of the population. Kim-Farley thinks it’s partially since more youthful people understand they aren’t as likely to die from the infection.
KIM-FARLEY: We have actually had, undoubtedly, current protests and demonstrations, more youths out once again for that. So I think these things are all resulting in factors that are increasing rates in more youthful people at today time.
FORTIER: Back at the park in LA, Sarah’s hubby, Pete Schwartz, an independent animator, sees individuals socializing in ways unthinkable 3 months ago.
PETE SCHWARTZ: Maybe older folks got the message, possibly. Time to go out.
FORTIER: Total, California is near the national average on coronavirus deaths. With summertime in full swing and more contact inevitable in dining establishments and on beaches, public health officials now fear California’s early gains could be reversed.
For NPR News, I’m Jackie Fortier in Los Angeles.
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