California Covid-Related Hospitalization Surge May Be Calm Before Record-Breaking Storm, According To New State Forecast

deadline.com:

California is seeing a surge in hospitalizations, up 59% in a little over a week, and the state’s latest ensemble forecast says it’s only the beginning.On December 31, state data showed 5,835 patients hospitalized with Covid.

Eight days later, the total had jumped to 9,275 — data was not published for January 1 due to the New Year’s holiday. On Friday alone, the state added 608 new patients with Covid.The ensemble forecast on the California Covid Assessment Tool predicts that hospitalizations related to Covid will rise to 23,528 by February 6, a 153% increase over today’s number.

That would eclipse the previous record of 21,938 set January 6, 2021. How does that happen if Omicron is, as most experts say, less virulent than previous strains?

The answer may lie in the variant’s increased transmissibility.The state’s 7-day average test positivity rate has been skyrocketing.