Alarming new COVID-19 data shows massive winter surge in Bay Area

Alix Martichoux Image
ByAlix Martichoux KGO logo
Friday, January 8, 2021
Alarming new data shows massive winter surge in Bay Area
The Bay Area's stay-at-home order is set to be extended as new COVID-19 cases are rising at a rate higher than ever before.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, new COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area are increasing at an alarming clip.

Before your eyes glaze over, consider these numbers that put the winter surge into perspective.

ABC7 News' data journalism team first started tracking local case numbers on March 12, the day before the first stay-at-home orders were issued. It took six months and nine days for the Bay Area to reach 100,000 cases on Sep. 21.

It took another two months and 24 days for our case numbers to double and reach 200,000 cases on Dec. 15.

On Friday, the Bay Area crossed the 300,000-case threshold. We added those additional 100,000 cases shockingly fast -- in just 24 days.

The rate of new cases shows just how bad this latest surge is for the Bay Area. Perhaps even more concerning is the region's remaining ICU capacity, just 3.5% as of Thursday.

Feel free to share this story with that family member of yours who is over the pandemic. They may be over it, but it's far from over.

A graphic shows the data from the winter coronavirus surge compared to previous numbers in the Bay Area.
A graphic shows the data from the winter coronavirus surge compared to previous numbers in the Bay Area.

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