Throughout the world, COVID-19 continues to filter its way through each country. The number of documented illnesses continues to climb as the total number across the globe has reached and surpassed its one-millionth case.
However, 300,000 of these cases belong to the United States. This means the US is the epicenter of the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
According to Worldometers’ statistical guide to the virus, the U.S. has currently twice as many cases as its worldly counterparts. COVID-19 has continued to surge throughout the U.S. as it is gearing up for the assumed peak of the virus.
The top of the curve will vary for different areas, and it is possible California is on the other side, but the largest hotspot in the nation is projected to peak within the next week, according to Gov. Cuomo of New York, however, his timeline has changed repeatedly in the last three weeks.
Currently, New York is the epicenter of the virus in the United States. Statistics provided by Worldometers share that the city has over 100,000 cases that continue to climb daily. It also has the highest mortality rate within the 50 states.
California stands in fourth place for the highest number of cases with nearly 13,000 total documented COVID-19 cases, behind New York, New Jersey, and Michigan. The spread of these cases goes across the state, as both the Northern and Southern halves are being affected. Currently, Los Angeles County has the most cases, followed by San Diego, and Santa Clara counties and these three counties account for over half the cases together.
Currently, Sonoma County has just surpassed 100 total cases, meaning that for every 100,000 residents, Worldometers; statistics show 22 people have gotten the virus but less than one person for every 100,000 has died from the virus. However, these statistics still acknowledge there is a level of threat to Sonoma County and California as a whole as orders to shelter-in-place have been extended through the month of April.
According to ca.gov, California’s government public website, the state is continuing with “ordering all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence.” This is mandated by an executive order signed into effect by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The order will continue into May, where it is expected to be extended once again; however, it is unknown to what state the public health crisis will be in after a few weeks.
The impact of this virus is changing daily which does not allow for specific end dates of the executive order to be foreseen. For now, daily life may be on hold but the health of the US is put at the top priority to preserve citizens’ lives.
CNN correspondent Ray Sanchez, at the initial contact of COVID-19 in the US, said California and New York “had about the same number of coronavirus cases in the first week of March.” However, by the following Friday of that same week, California reported more than 10,000 cases while New York declared more than 100,000, according to statistics provided by the COVID Tracking Project. While the two states began with similar numbers, California took larger protective strides to protect its state.
Employees were urged from early on to work from home from large companies as well as college campuses, like Sonoma State, taking time off before deciding to go fully online to finish the semester. Specific counties began to proclaim shelter-in-place followed closely by a statewide mandate for citizens to stay home. These actions allowed California to keep numbers lower than other states.
With California being the most populous state in the U.S., research indicates that the proactive measures greatly reduced the number of cases and deaths in the state. The numbers show how the states differed in their response to the virus and how important that response was to the integrity of each state’s health care system and citizens’ well-being.
