Los Angeles County continues to report a decrease in the number of new daily cases of coronavirus, but officials remain concerned that Super Bowl meetings could reverse the course.
On Saturday, 4,860 new confirmed cases and 193 related deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths across the county to 17,955, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The daily death toll has continued to show a steady decline since mid-January, when the county averaged 241 deaths per day.
Still, those numbers remain much higher than the levels before the sudden increase and officials say the community must take all measures not to expose friends, family and co-workers to the disease.
“We send our deepest condolences to all those who experience the sadness of losing a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, county public health director. “Despite seeing some reductions, we continue to have widespread transmission in the community in our municipality.”
Ferrer warned that the most risky thing people can do on Sunday is to host or attend Sunday Super Bowl parties, potentially turning the game into an oversized event. She asked residents to virtually connect or watch the game at home with people in their immediate home.
The county has imposed a number of restrictions: private meetings are limited to 15 people, with a maximum of three families, and must be held outside, with participants wearing masks and maintaining physical distance. Restaurants that were allowed to reopen their outdoor areas last week will be banned from having TVs available for customers to watch the game.
Los Angeles has seen significant relief from the virus in recent weeks. The seven-day average of new cases dropped from about 15,100 to about 5,600 cases per day.
Even so, hospital intensive care units remain overburdened and the death toll remains high. Across the state, more than 43,000 people have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The authorities also confirmed additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a rare and potentially deadly viral disease that infects children exposed to the coronavirus. Symptoms include a passing fever and inflamed body parts, including heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.
Health officials confirmed on Saturday nine additional cases of MIS-C, bringing the total number of cases in LA County to 75 children, including one death. Latin children represent 76% of all reported MIS-C cases.
The supply of the COVID-19 vaccine remains limited. For information on vaccines in Los Angeles County and to know when your turn will come, visit the public health department website.
Meanwhile, Orange County health officials reported on Saturday 739 new cases of coronavirus and 33 additional deaths, bringing the county total to 237,077 cases and 3,312 deaths.