
The COVID-19 pandemic has spanned the better part of a year, with Santa Cruz County and many other places in California seeing a deadly winter surge in cases, even as the vaccine rollout continues. Lookout has created charts to tell the story of the virus as it sweeps through Santa Cruz County.
In this story, we track:
- A snapshot of the virus in Santa Cruz County
- 14-day average of daily positive cases
- Demographic data of those who’ve died of COVID-19 in the county
- Demographic and geographic data of who is getting COVID-19 in the county
- COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county
- ICU capacity of the five regions in California including the Bay Area region
- The various tiers that indicate spread of the virus in the community
Snapshot of the virus
14-day average of daily cases in county
Demographic data of COVID-19 fatalities in county
Demographic and geographic data of cases in county
COVID-19 hospitalizations in county
ICU capacity
With the fate of Santa Cruz County largely dependent on the ICU capacities of other Bay Area counties, here’s a look at the ICU capacities of the five regions in California:
Tiers
Every county in the state is assigned a level on a 4-tier chart that indicates the severity of the spread of the virus. According to the California Department of Public Health, the tiers are calculated by taking into account test positivity and adjusted case rates.
In the purple tier, there are several restrictions placed on businesses. The California Department of Public Health shows a breakdown of the restrictions by tier.