Early in the outbreak, California emerged as a leader in fighting the spread of the coronavirus. It was the first state to impose a stay-at-home order, and its swift response is thought to have prevented 1.7 million coronavirus cases in the state.
For months it seemed that California — considered especially vulnerable to the virus because of its large, globe-trotting population — was weathering the storm relatively well.
But over the last week, things have changed. The state’s case count has exploded, reaching 200,000 infections. Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled back reopening plans. And officials in Los Angeles County are projecting that they may run out of hospital beds in two to three weeks.
Now Californians are asking themselves, what went wrong?
The turn, some say, may have come Memorial Day weekend, when cooped-up residents responded to the state’s reopening by getting out and socializing. According to an analysis by The Los Angeles Times, coronavirus hospitalizations in the state began accelerating around June 15 — which, given the incubation period of the virus, points to holiday barbecues, beach trips and graduation parties as potential culprits.
The Los Angeles Times also noted that Californians, unlike New Yorkers, had not yet felt the trauma of having their hospitals overloaded with patients, so many saw reopening as a license to return to life as it was before the pandemic.
Our colleague Jill Cowan, who writes the California Today newsletter, told us that a complex patchwork of rules that can change from county to county was also to blame.
“State and local officials would say that, recently, people have been letting their guard down, and they’ve been gathering with family members and they’ve been going to bars and restaurants,” Jill told us. “But a lot of people are then saying, ‘Well, why did you let restaurants and bars reopen?’”
“It’s very confusing and it’s very complicated,” she added. “And so for regular Californians, I think it’s been tough to navigate what you shouldn’t do — even if you can.”
A nightmare side effect
Many severely ill patients have developed a terrifying condition that causes nightmarish visions and can have long-lasting consequences. Known as hospital delirium, the phenomenon, which was observed mostly in older people before the pandemic, has struck Covid-19 patients of all ages.
Reports suggest that about two-thirds to three-quarters of virus patients who end up in intensive-care units, even for relatively short stays, have experienced the condition. Their hospitalization often provides the perfect combination of elements: long stints on ventilators, heavy sedatives, poor sleep, minimal social interaction.
Delirium takes two forms — hyperactive, which leads to paranoid hallucinations and agitation, and hypoactive, which causes internalized visions and confusion. Some people experience both.
Recovered virus patients have described thinking they were being abducted or burned alive. Even after their visions go away, the condition can slow the healing process and increase the risk of depression or post-traumatic stress. Older patients can also develop dementia sooner than they otherwise would have, and even die earlier.
Another troubling development: Immunologists believe the coronavirus may be responsible for depleting disease-fighting T cells, similar to how H.I.V. operates. If that’s the case, protection against the virus could be fleeting, and a cocktail of antiviral drugs may be needed to control it.
Authorities in China have imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people near Beijing, after a small but stubborn second wave of infections.
In a reversal, officials in Jacksonville, Fla., say masks will be required in indoor public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible.
Even as the virus surges across far-flung regions of Russia, the Kremlin is pushing ahead with a referendum that could keep President Vladimir Putin in power until 2036.
After an outbreak around Leicester, in central England, the city might not follow the rest of the country as it reopens pubs, restaurants and hotels this weekend.
Broadway will remain closed for at least the rest of this year. Many shows are signaling that they do not expect a return until late winter or early spring.
For the last decade, a growing middle class in Africa has helped spur educational, political and economic development. But the pandemic is threatening to throw millions of people into poverty.
More than 43 percent of virus deaths in the U.S. have been tied to nursing homes and long-term care facilities, according to a New York Times database.
Health care prices can be unpredictable in the U.S. Two friends in Texas were tested for the coronavirus at the same location, and one bill was $6,000 more than the other.
I live in a really small, rural logging town. While we don’t have Covid cases here, we have mostly all been staying home and following the guidelines. Several of my neighbors and I have started a “Porch Ninja” game, where we sneak over and leave homemade goodies, wine or fun surprises on each other’s porches.
— Carrie Bredy, Morton, Wash.
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