More Coronavirus Deaths In Contra Costa County: Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Contra Costa health officials announced two new coronavirus deaths in the county on Thursday, the sixth and seventh deaths since Monday. Since the start of the pandemic, 88 county residents have lost their lives to the illness.

Newly diagnosed cases have been in triple digits all week — over 200 on both Monday and Tuesday, partially attributed by authorities to under-counting from the holiday weekend. Wednesday saw 137 new cases, while new cases declined to 105 on Thursday. The seven-day average of new cases is 146.

Contra Costa County cases have surged. Here are the total cases in the county by month:

• March 1: 1
• April 1: 293
• May 1: 922
• June 1: 1509
• July 1: 3332
• Today: 4357

California reported a record 9,500 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the most in one day in the state since the beginning of the pandemic. California's death toll is now 6,724.

There are currently 55 people hospitalized with COVID-19 complications in the county, and 479 throughout the Bay Area. Health officials have not released other data about patients currently in the hospital, including their ages.

Earlier this week, Patch reported the number of cases by age group, as officials emphasized that more young people, in their 20's and 30's, were being diagnosed. Here’s a look at deaths by age group in Contra Costa County:

• Birth to 30: 0
• 31 - 40: 1
• 41 - 50: 0
• 51 - 60: 5
• 61 - 70: 10
• 71 - 80: 16
• 81 - 90: 32
• 91 - 100: 24

While the county does not routinely release information about the home communities of those who die of coronavirus, diagnosed cases are released by city.

Walnut Creek has 192 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.

In other news, UC Berkeley’s reopening in the fall is now in jeopardy after a coronavirus outbreak blamed on fraternity and sorority parties.

City of Walnut Creek workers will lose their jobs to help balance the coronavirus-ravaged budget.

The City of Alameda is turning streets into al-fresco dining areas to help restaurants recover from coronavirus closures.

And Alameda County is furloughing court workers because of coronavirus-induced state budget cuts. That will impact everyone involved in the court system from victims to defendants, attorneys to prosecutors.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

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