Los Angeles County ended 2020 breaking Covid-19 records and brought in the new year doing just the same.
On Saturday Los Angeles Public Health officials reported that L.A. County has surpassed 800,000 total coronavirus cases – with nearly half of the cases being reported in the last month. To date Los Angeles County has confirmed 806,210 Covid-19 cases and reported at total of 10,682 coronavirus-related deaths.
As L.A. nears its anniversary of the first reported Covid-19 case, officials confirm 15,701 new cases and 138 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday alone. December, defined by continued lockdowns, closures and holiday gatherings, marked the fastest acceleration of new cases throughout the pandemic, officials said in a statement.
As of Saturday, there are currently 7,627 patients currently hospitalized for the infectious disease. Hospitalizations continue to rise while ICU capacity sees a continual decrease. Since last Saturday, an additional 850 Angelenos have been hospitalized for coronavirus.
The latest Covid-19 count for L.A. County comes just shortly after California officials claimed Friday, New Year’s Day, was the deadliest day of the pandemic for the state. On Friday, officials reported 585 Covid-related deaths, a 37% rise from Thursday’s count.
Lastly, while the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer make their way to healthcare workers across the state, officials have identified multiple cases of a new, more contagious Covid-19 strain in Big Bear – the same variant reported Colorado and in the United Kingdom.
During a press briefing Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that while there have been no reported cases of the new Covid-19 strain in L.A. County, it doesn’t mean it’s not spreading.
COVID-19 Daily Update:
January 2, 2021New Cases: 15,701 (806,210 to date)
New Deaths:138 (10,682 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 7,627 pic.twitter.com/JUPg9hJozS— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) January 3, 2021