California is facing a massive surge in coronavirus cases, despite adopting strict policies like mask and vaccine mandates, as the omicron variant continues to spread.
San Diego County, for example, reported the highest single-day case count in the pandemic thus far, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County reported a total of 5,976 new coronavirus cases Thursday, setting a new single-day record, according to county records.
The previous single-day record was set on Jan. 7, when the county health department reported 4,550 new cases.
Besting the previous record by nearly 1,500 cases on the eve of New Year’s Eve clearly unsettled those in charge of protecting the public health.
Dr. Cameron Kaiser, San Diego’s deputy public health officer, said in a statement released Thursday afternoon to tamp down plans for ringing in the new year.
Los Angeles County reported more than 20,000 new cases on Thursday, nearly the highest single-day total of the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times:
The long-feared winter coronavirus wave reached new heights Thursday as Los Angeles County reported more than 20,000 new cases, fueled in part by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is washing over the region.
Overall, California’s reported average daily coronavirus caseload has more than quadrupled in the last two weeks — an astonishing rise that has pushed infection levels significantly higher than at any point during the summer surge.
“We are, in fact, experiencing the worst of a surge at the moment with the rising number of cases,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters.
Thursday’s total in L.A. County, 20,198, is one of the highest in the pandemic. Over the last two days, the nation’s most populous county has announced nearly 37,000 new cases.