California announces latest COVID-19 facts

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing outside Parkview Community Hospital on, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in Riverside, Calif. Photo by Dylan Stewart/Image of Sport via AP

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health on April 12 announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. California now has 21,794 confirmed cases and 651 deaths.

Racial demographics

This initial information, representing 62 percent of COVID-19 cases and 84 percent of deaths, shows the race and ethnicity data is roughly in line with the diversity of California overall:

Health care worker infection rates

As of April 11, local health departments have reported 2,388 confirmed positive cases in health care workers. This includes on-the-job exposures, and other exposures, such as travel and close family contact. As testing capacity continues to increase, and more tests are being conducted directly in physician’s offices and processed through commercial laboratories, local public health officials will not be able to report the source of exposure for every affected health care worker.

Testing in California

As of April 11, more than 203,400 tests had been conducted in California. At least 190,238 results have been received and another 13,200 are pending. These numbers include data California has received from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 22 state and county health labs currently testing.

How people can protect themselves

Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

• Staying home except for essential needs/activities.
• Practicing social distancing.
• Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
• Following guidance from public health officials.

 What to do if you think you’re sick

Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath) and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken. 

For more information on COVID-19 and California’s response visit the California Department of Public Health website.

More information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available at www.covid19.ca.gov.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available at www.cdph.ca.gov/covid19guidance.