County exceeds 800,000 Covid-19 cases and 10,600 total deaths

Los Angeles County ended 2020 breaking Covid-19 records and brought the new year by doing the same.

On Saturday, Los Angeles Public Health officials reported that LA County exceeded 800,000 cases of coronavirus – with almost half of the cases reported last month. To date, Los Angeles County has confirmed 806,210 cases of Covid-19 and has reported a total of 10,682 coronavirus-related deaths.

Longer term

As LA approaches the anniversary of the first Covid-19 case reported, authorities confirm 15,701 new cases and 138 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday alone. December, defined by continuous blockades, closings and holiday meetings, marked the fastest acceleration of new cases during the pandemic, officials said in a statement.

As of Saturday, there were currently 7,627 patients hospitalized due to infectious disease. Hospitalizations continue to increase, while the ICU’s capacity decreases continuously. Since last Saturday, another 850 angelenos have been hospitalized for coronavirus.

The latest Covid-19 count for LA County comes shortly after California officials said Friday, New Year’s Day, was the deadliest pandemic day for the state. On Friday, authorities reported 585 Covid-related deaths, a 37% increase from Thursday’s count.

Finally, while the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer reach health professionals across the state, authorities have identified several 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 conference, Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said that while there have been no reported cases of the new Covid-19 strain in LA County, that does not mean that it is not spreading.

The story continues

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