County exceeds 15,000 Covid-19 deaths – deadline

Another week during the coronavirus pandemic, another dark landmark for Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles surpassed the total of 15,000 coronavirus-related deaths, Public Health officials announced on Saturday. The county recorded a total of 15,162 deaths and 1,064,887 confirmed cases from Covid-19. Saturday’s statistics show 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases.

There are also 6,881 Angelenos hospitalized for coronavirus, with 24% of patients receiving treatment in the ICU. The current count of hospitalizations marks the first time the county has notified fewer than 7,000 patients in nearly a month. Southern California, however, remains at 0% of the ICU’s capacity.

The county continues to exceed milestones as Angelenos began receiving vaccines. Despite the hope that comes with the vaccine, the county has struggled to administer the vaccines. On Friday, Los Angeles County Science Director Dr. Paul Simon blamed the lack of available doses and the continuing uncertainty about future allocations. Vaccination sites will operate at a lower capacity.

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