Updated
Jan 05, 2021
California Passes 25,000 Coronavirus Deaths, Finds 3 More Variant Cases
“We’re exhausted and it’s the calm before the storm,” a nurse said of the state s ongoing surge of cases that have pushed nurses and doctors to the breaking point.
BRIAN MELLEY and STEFANIE DAZIO
LOS ANGELES (AP) California surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic and officials disclosed Thursday that three more cases involving a mutant variant of the virus have been confirmed in San Diego County.
The grim developments came as an ongoing surge swamps hospitals and pushes nurses and doctors to the breaking point as they brace for another likely increase after the holidays.
California has surpassed 25,000 COVID-19 related deaths Brian Melley and Stefanie Dazio , Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
California surpassed 25,000 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday.
The state also recorded 3 more cases of the more transmissible coronavirus variant found in the UK.
COVID-19 cases are surging in the state and are only expected to continue to rise.
LOS ANGELES (AP) California surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic and officials disclosed Thursday that three more cases involving a mutant variant of the virus have been confirmed in San Diego County.
The grim developments came as an ongoing surge swamps hospitals and pushes nurses and doctors to the breaking point as they brace for another likely increase after the holidays.
The US state of California has now surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, and officials disclosed Thursday (local time) that three more cases involving a mutant variant of the virus have been confirmed in San Diego County. The grim developments came as an ongoing surge swamps hospitals and pushes nurses and doctors to the breaking point as they brace for another likely increase after the holidays. “We’re exhausted and it’s the calm before the storm,” said Jahmaal Willis, a nurse and emergency room leader at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley. “It’s like we’re fighting a war, a never-ending war, and we’re running out of ammo. We have to get it together before the next fight.”
Christian musician Sean Feucht’s controversial “Let Us Worship” rallies concluded on New Year’s Eve with hundreds of people gathered at Higher Vision Church in Valencia as the Santa Clarita Valley continues its fight against a COVID-19 surge.
The open-air event started Thursday night, as attendees, some of whom were masked and socially distanced while others weren’t, sang, prayed, cheered and danced in crowds despite government restrictions on religious services that require physical distancing and masks to be worn at all times.
Many, if not most, of those who attended were residents from outside of the SCV, even California. Some Higher Vision Church members present declined to comment.
A new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 was detected in San Diego Wednesday. The B117 variant was first identified in the United Kingdom earlier this month.