[May 10, 2020] – The California Department of Public Health announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. California now has 66,680 confirmed cases and 2,745 deaths.

As of May 9, local health departments have reported 7,160 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 38 deaths statewide.

Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

* Staying home except for essential needs/activities.

* Practicing social distancing.

* Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.

* Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

* Covering a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.

* Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

* Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

* Following guidance from public health officials.

Testing in California

As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Individuals prioritized for testing include:

* Hospitalized patients

* Symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers, first responders, and other social service employees

* Symptomatic individuals age 65 and older or symptomatic individuals of any age with chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness

* Individuals who are tested as part of disease control efforts in high-risk settings

* Asymptomatic residents and employees of congregate living facilities when needed to prevent disease transmission

* Symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in essential occupations such as grocery store and food supply workers, utility workers and public employees

* Other individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

As of May 9, 955,664 tests have been conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 43,094 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 25 state and county health labs currently testing.