Coronavirus updates: Newsom says curve has flattened, waiting for numbers to come down

Low-angle view of Emergency Room sign and facade of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Mission Bay in San Francisco, California, March 23, 2020. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Low-angle view of Emergency Room sign and facade of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Mission Bay in San Francisco, California, March 23, 2020. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Gado Via Getty Images Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Gado Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 74 Caption Close Coronavirus updates: Newsom says curve has flattened, waiting for numbers to come down 1 / 74 Back to Gallery

LATEST, April 19, 12 p.m.: San Francisco reported 20 more coronavirus cases Sunday morning, bringing its total tally up to 1,157.

The city's death toll due to COVID-19 stayed at 20.

Contra Costa County also reported one more death, bringing its tally up to 20.

Most counties do not report new numbers on Sunday and will have the latest statistics available on Monday morning.

April 18, 1:45 p.m. One new COVID-19 death and 53 new cases of the virus were reported in Alameda County on Saturday.

There are now 1,114 known coronavirus cases and 41 deaths in the county. Alameda County's death toll trails only Santa Clara County, where there are 73 fatalities.

Elsewhere in the East Bay, Contra Costa County reported 37 new cases and no new deaths, bringing the total case number up to 685. There are 19 deaths in Contra Costa County.

April 18, 12:30 p.m. California Governor Gavin Newsom provided an update on "Project Roomkey," the state's initiative to provide shelter for homeless individuals in hotels and motels during the coronavirus pandemic.

During a Saturday press conference alongside San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Newsom announced the state has procured 10,974 hotel rooms and secured a partnership with 47 Motel 6 sites.

When asked how the state would pay for it, Newsom said officials would "package" funding up from several different sources, including relief and non-profit money. The governor also took aim at certain local leaders resisting efforts to house the homeless in hotels, arguing that doing so would limit the spread of the virus.

"The same tired arguments of NIMBYism ... it's golden oldies," he said of resistance to the project.

The governor also provided an update on the state's death and hospitalization figures from the last 24 hours. He reported 87 new deaths, and stated that hospitalization rates across the state have been flat. The total hospitalization number saw a modest increase of 1.3 percent, and ICU numbers saw a modest decrease of .1 percent.

"We've certainly flattened the curve," he said. "Now the question is when we will see the numbers decline on a consistent basis, instead of an episodic basis over the last week."

With the state's stay-at-home order in place for several weeks, some individuals — including a group of demonstrators in Huntington Beach — are protesting the shutdown and demanding the state reopen. Newsom mostly shrugged the protests off and encouraged demonstrators to wear facial coverings and stay six feet apart from one another.

"None of this surprises us," Newsom said of protests. "I imagine we'll see a lot more of it, and I encourage people that when they practice their right to free speech — which I celebrate — they do so safely. This virus doesn't know if you're a Republican or Democrat, if you support or oppose the president. Practice social distancing, make sure you don't infect others; if you're asymptomatic you can spread it. If you don't care about strangers, think about potentially coming home and infecting your loved ones."

The governor added that protests and resistance will not persuade him to open up before health experts tell him it's safe.

"I won't judge it by politics or by protests," he said. "The facts on the ground will be the guiding principle."

April 18, 9:30 a.m. San Francisco County reported 79 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday morning and no new deaths.

The total number of cases stands at 1,137, and the death toll is 20.

San Mateo County also reported 41 new cases with no new deaths on Saturday. There are 838 confirmed cases and 28 deaths in the county.

April 18, 8:30 a.m. After five straight days of stability, the number of Bay Area coronavirus hospitalizations plummeted from Wednesday to Thursday, and Friday's figures continue the trend.

Here are the previous six days' worth of data reflecting the total number of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the nine counties that comprise the San Francisco Bay Area:

- Saturday, April 11: 744 (3.6 percent increase from previous day)

- Sunday, April 12: 751 (0.9 percent increase from previous day)

- Monday, April 13: 750 (0.1 decrease from previous day)

- Tuesday, April 14: 758 (1.1 percent increase from previous day)

- Wednesday, April 15: 740 (2.3 percent decrease from previous day)

- Thursday, April 16: 673 (9.1 percent decrease from previous day)

- Friday, April 17: 674 (0.1 percent increase from previous day)

The 9.1 percent decrease from April 15 to April 16 was the largest single-day decrease the region has seen since county-by-county hospitalization data has been available. For reference, April 7 marked the day of the most reported hospitalizations with 831.

The number of patients in intensive care units continues to remain flat, with a range of 214 to 238 over the past five days.

Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases):

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 1,114 confirmed cases, 41 deaths

For more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 693 confirmed cases, 20 deaths

For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website.

LAKE COUNTY: 6 confirmed cases

For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website.

MARIN COUNTY: 187 confirmed cases, 10 deaths

Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website.

MONTEREY COUNTY: 119 confirmed cases, 3 deaths

For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website.

NAPA COUNTY: 44 cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 44 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 1,157 confirmed cases, 20 deaths

For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 838 confirmed cases, 28 deaths

For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 1,870 confirmed cases, 73 deaths

Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 101 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website.

SOLANO COUNTY: 169 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website.

SONOMA COUNTY: 180 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website.

In California, 1,057 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. For comparison, New York has 17,131, New Jersey 3,840 and Illinois 1,134.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.