COVID Transmission Rates Are Falling Across California, Bringing Cautious Optimism
Thursday, January 20 (KTLA 5) – Health officials in California see indications that the surge related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is beginning to flatten and wane. On Thursday, officials in San Francisco said they believe they’ve passed the peak of the wave. In Los Angeles County, they expressed cautious optimism that the exponential growth in cases may be behind them. The Los Angeles Unified School District has seen the COVID testing positivity rate decline after a spike early in the month (in K-12 students, it fell from 15% to 11% in two weeks).
Over 2,000 LAPD and L.A. County Sheriff’s employees tested positive for the virus recently. The LAPD said 1,100 personnel, including 890 officers, are at home recovering. State numbers are still showing an average of 103,000 cases per day, while L.A. County has declined from an average of 42,000 cases a day last week to 37,000 cases a day. According to San Francisco’s director of health, a downward trajectory is evident there as well (based on state data, the city is now averaging around 2,000 cases a day, down from 2,700 from January 3 to January 9).
3 California Teenagers Killed in Car Crash Near Los Angeles
Tuesday, January 18 (Click on Detroit) – On Sunday, three teenage boys were killed in Pasadena, CA, when the car they were in struck a curb, collided with a fence, and rolled over on an embankment, according to local authorities. The single vehicle crash involved a 2005 Honda; the California Highway Patrol said the incident occurred at around 8:30 p.m. A 17-year-old driver and 16-year-old passenger were pronounced dead at the scene, while a 17-year-old passenger was taken to a hospital where they later died. Initially, it was reported the sedan plunged off an elevated section of highway; the CHP said this was inaccurate and is still investigating the crash.
Driver Ejected, Killed After Car Crashes into Tree in San Diego’s East County
Thursday, January 20 (ABC 10 News San Diego) – A Chula Vista man was ejected from his vehicle and killed after crashing into a tree in the Rancho San Diego area. The single-vehicle collision, involving a 2020 Dodge Challenger, happened off Willow Glen Drive near Campbell Lane, just after 9:20 a.m. The 42-year-old victim was the only occupant of the car. According to the California Highway Patrol, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The CHP is also investigating whether the driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time or if alcohol or drugs were a factor.