Peter Wells in New York
California on Wednesday reported fewer than 5,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time since early November in a further sign the state is bringing its most recent wave of the pandemic under control.
The health department revealed an additional 4,090 infections, down from 5,692 on Tuesday, and marking the smallest one-day increase in cases since November 3.
While the latest figures may reflect delays in reporting following the long weekend, the sub-5,000 milestone underscores a change in fortune compared to the worst of California’s pandemic from mid-December to mid-January, when the most populous state in the US on several occasions reported single-day increases of more than 50,000 cases.
Other closely-watched metrics have also been heading in encouraging directions. The 14-day positivity rate, at 4.1 per cent, is the lowest it has been since mid-November and down from a recent high of 14 per cent in early…