SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19 Wednesday: the state now has 2,535 confirmed cases.

The increase in testing numbers reported today largely come from commercial, provider and academic labs that have increased testing capacity and are now reporting that data to the state.

The biggest labs included in this count include Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford.

For more information on COVID-19 and California’s response visit the California Department of Public Health website.

COVID-19 in California by the Numbers

Note: The following numbers reflect information received by local health jurisdictions as of 2 p.m. PDT March 24. More current numbers may be available from local health jurisdictions.

2,535 – Positive cases

53 – Deaths (including one non-California resident)

• 707 – Community-acquired cases
• 1,828 – Cases acquired through person-to-person transmission, travel (including cruise ship passengers), repatriation, or under investigation.
  • This includes 35 health care workers.

Ages of all confirmed positive cases:

• Age 0-17: 37 cases
• Age 18-49: 1,278 cases
• Age 50-64: 638 cases
• Age 65+: 562 cases
• Unknown: 20 cases

Gender of all confirmed positive cases:

• Female: 1,117 cases
• Male: 1,389 cases
• Unknown: 29 cases

In order to better focus public health resources on the changing needs of California communities, on March 18, the state is no longer collecting information about California travelers returning from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community transmission of COVID-19 has been identified in California since late February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state were not related to travel outside of the United States.

Testing in California

As of 2 p.m. PDT on March 24, approximately 66,800 tests had been conducted in California. This includes the latest numbers California has received from commercial and private labs and the 22 state and county health labs that are currently testing. At least 18,276 results have been received and another 48,600 are pending.

How People Can Protect Themselves
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.

What to Do if You Think You’re Sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath) and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

For more information about what Californians can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California.

California continues to issue guidance on preparing and protecting California from COVID-19. Consolidated guidance is available.