Los Angeles County public health officials reported on Sunday 5,925 new cases of coronavirus and 124 related deaths, another sign that the outbreak may be stabilizing, but that it comes at a time when the state has begun to relax restrictions aimed at contain the spread of the virus virus.
The number of cases tends to be lower on weekends because not all laboratories report the results. Still, the data reinforces evidence that the region is emerging from a violent increase that began in late October and nearly overwhelmed hospitals in the area.
Hospitalizations have also continued to decline since the peak earlier this month. On Saturday, there were 5,398 patients with COVID-19 in LA County hospitals, a decrease of about 26% from two weeks earlier, when there were 7,322 patients.
“Although some restrictions have just been lifted in our county, we are still in a very dangerous period in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s director of public health, in a statement. “We all want our businesses in operation to remain open and more to reopen safely in the future. Our case rates are expected to continue to fall. “
The apparent signs of progress came when the state took steps to reopen some companies that had been closed by the pandemic.
On Monday, California authorities suspended requests to stay home for the regional coronavirus across the state, returning counties to the color-coded tier system that assigns local risk levels based on case numbers and outcome rates positive tests for coronavirus infections.
Most areas, including Southern California, continue to be classified under the “generalized” purple risk level, which allows beauty salons to offer limited services indoors, but restricts many other non-essential commercial operations indoors. As part of the move, restaurants were also able to reopen for al fresco dining.
But Ferrer urged people to continue wearing masks, practicing social detachment and avoiding meeting people outside the home.
“As some sectors have been reopened, this does not mean that the risk of transmission in the community has disappeared; it didn’t happen, and each of us needs to make very careful choices about what we do and how we do it, ”she said.
The new figures raise the county total to 1,116,892 cases of the virus, and 16,770 people died, according to the tracker for The Times.
Ferrer also warned that health officials have confirmed a second case in the county of Los Angeles of the UK coronavirus variant, which spreads more easily. New research strengthens the case that COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States and elsewhere must protect against the new variant.
Still, Ferrer urged the public to remain vigilant in protecting against the spread of the virus while the race to vaccinate the population continues. Those currently eligible for the vaccine include frontline health professionals, residents and employees in long-term care facilities and county residents aged 65 and over.
“This virus is strong and we are now concerned with the variants and what this will mean in our region,” she said. The presence of the United Kingdom variant in Los Angeles County “means that transmission of the virus can happen more easily, and residents and businesses should implement and follow more diligently all personal protection and security measures put in place” .
Orange County reported 1,355 new cases of the virus and 44 deaths on Saturday as its hospitalizations also continued to drop, for 1,412 patients, a decrease of about 28% from the previous two weeks.