Name: How Southern California became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic
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How Southern California became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic

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It started in Orange County a little more than a year ago.With the sun long set and many residents in bed, the public health department posted a message on at 11:08 p.m. last Jan. 25. A traveler from Wuhan, China had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.Twelve hours later in Los Angeles, Barbara Ferrer, the top public health official in America's most populous county, . A second had been hospitalized with the virus.At the time, there were only four known cases in the United States. Some leaders, , gave assurances that the virus would soon be snuffed out.They were wrong. There have been 26 million confirmed cases and more than 400,000 deaths nationwide. In California, more than 3 million people have tested positive and 40,000 have died.The Times has been since the pandemic’s earliest days. A look back on the first anniversary of the outbreak shows how the spread across the state unfolded in four distinct chapters, leading to a massive winter swell which the state is still recovering from.The virus made its first footholds in the , where several cruise ships carrying infected passengers were quarantined at sea.Hopes that the virus could be contained aboard the ships were soon dashed. in Bay Area communities in late Februrary, leading to the highest infection rates in the state.NorthernCaliforniaGreaterSacramentoBay AreaSan JoaquinValleySouthernCaliforniaIn early March, the first coronavirus-related death was reported in Placer County. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. With cases piling up in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County officials banned .Talk began of “social distancing” in Los Angeles but the on March 8. At the time, there were 14 known cases in the county.As infections continued to spread, leaders began to take more decisive action. On March 19, Newsom ordered all Californians to stay home. It wouldn't be enough.At that time, there were 1,200 cases statewide. Four days later, cases had doubled. Two weeks later, on April 1, they had quadrupled and Southern California had shot past the Bay Area to establish itself as the new epicenter in the state.Follow the latest data on the spread of COVID-19 in California with our Beginning in May, skyrocketed in the rural farming communities of San Joaquin Valley and along the border in Imperial County., many of them working in the fields and living in crowded housing.By July, Imperial County’s two hospitals were overwhelmed. Hundreds of patients had to be transported elsewhere for treatment. To date, one out of every seven residents in the county has tested positive. More than 500 have died.The spread in the state’s Central Valley wasn’t limited to the fields. Outbreaks were reported at all across the state.Before the end of July, the virus had spread to California’s most remote reaches. That’s when the , near the Oregon border. All 58 of the state’s counties had recorded a case of the coronavirus.February8/58 countiesMarch50 countiesApril54 countiesMay57 countiesJune57 countiesJuly58 countiesAs the summer surge faded, Newsom introduced a that allowed some counties to begin reopening in September and October.The reprieve was short-lived. The last weeks of October saw a in cases across the state, soon followed by an unprecedented surge.Experts say pandemic fatigue and a sense that the threat was over played a role. At Thanksgiving, a record number of people traveled for the first time since the spring. It was soon clear an influx of new coronavirus patients would create a crisis in California’s hospitals.The virus surged in cities, prisons and some of the most isolated communities.On Nov. 13, 292 days after that late night press release was issued by Orange County officials, the state surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases.State officials announced a curfew. Thirty-one counties saw in new daily cases before Thanksgiving. A new region-based stay-at-home order went into effect. Then on Christmas Eve, the state hit 2 million total cases, doubling in just 41 days.Just 30 days later, the state surpassed . At least one out of 13 Californians had tested positive.FewerMoreAugust712,268 casesSeptember819,429October932,238November1,230,152December2,296,096January3,163,404In late December, hope emerged. The first COVID-19 vaccinations were rolled out to healthcare workers and nursing home residents. Daily case counts began to drop in January.The state’s has been shaky at best, marked by .Still, vaccination centers have opened up across the state, including mass distribution sites at and . On Jan. 25, the remaining stay at home orders were lifted.One year after the crisis began, Southern California — particularly Los Angeles — again has the highest concentration of cases. To date, one in every nine residents of L.A. County has tested positive.Experts warn that there still remains a possibility for another surge.A mutant, of the virus is rapidly spreading across the U.S., and officials are voicing worries about and reckless gatherings at outdoor restaurants.Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this story. Ryan Menezes and Ryan Murphy provided additional programming.Tracking the coronavirusAbout this storyData used to make this story come from an ongoing of California’s 58 county health agencies as well as the three run by cities. Counties are organized into regions using developed by the state health department. is available to the public on Github, a popular website for hosting data and computer code. The files will be updated daily at .The data collection effort is done in partnership with journalists at the , the , , , , and Stanford’s .Learn more about The Times count by reading this list of or by reading this .

It started in Orange County a little more than a year ago.With the sun long set and many residents in bed, the public health department posted a message on at 11:08 p.m. last Jan. 25. A traveler from Wuhan, China had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.Twelve hours later in Los Angeles, Barbara Ferrer, the top public health official in America's most populous county, . A second had been hospitalized with the virus.At the time, there were only four known cases in the United States. Some leaders, , gave assurances that the virus would soon be snuffed out.They were wrong. There have been...

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Sean Greene

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How Southern California became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic

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