Los Angeles has become the first county in the country to register more than 1 million cases of coronavirus, health officials said.
More than 14,669 new cases were reported on Saturday, bringing its total count to 1,003,923, said the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The gloomy milestone occurs when there are 7,597 people currently hospitalized with the virus and at least 13,741 deaths.
“Our community is suffering from the winter wave, facing a large number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times more than in the summer,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s Department of Public Health.
Health officials on Saturday also confirmed their first case of the new coronavirus strain first detected in the UK.
The patient is a man who recently spent time in the county and has now traveled to Oregon, where he is isolating himself.
“This more contagious variant makes it easier to spread infections in the workplace, in stores and in our homes,” said Ferrer. “We are in the middle of a public health emergency, so please do everything you can to protect yourself and those you love.”