SACRAMENTO July 31, 2020 – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed today the COVID-related death of a teenager in the Central Valley. This is the first death in California of a teenager, and this young person had underlying health conditions. Due to patient confidentiality, CDPH will not provide any additional information about this death. There have been no reported deaths in younger age categories, including children 5 and under.

“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of this young person whose death is a tragic and powerful reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health.

The most recent statistics on COVID-19 are as follows:

  • The 7-day average number of new cases is 8,322 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 9,881. California has 493,588 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
  • There have been 7,811,041 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 177,201 over the prior 24-hour reporting period. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread.
  • As case numbers continue to rise in California, the total number of individuals who will have serious outcomes will also increase. There have been 9,005 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
  • A total of 37 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

Note on Hospitalization Numbers

Since July 23, hospitalization numbers reflect a change in reporting requirements that were implemented last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The change resulted in historical data from eight non-reporting facilities not being part of recent updates, resulting in lower numbers. This data will be added back in as soon as it is available.

Data and Tools

A wide range of data and analysis guides California’s response to COVID-19. The state is making the data and its analytical tools available to researchers, scientists and the public at covid19.ca.gov.