Coronavirus: LA County Sees Increase Of Nearly 100 Cases In 48 Hours

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — In the past 48 hours, Los Angeles County has reported 96 new confirmed cases of coronavirus as the ability to test increases — bringing the total to 190 confirmed cases.

"Because we cannot stop the spread of COVID-19, all of our strategies are aimed at slowing the spread," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County Public Health Department director, said.

And while the efforts taken throughout the county, including closing non-essential businesses and limiting contact with others, it has been estimated that the county will see a spike in cases in the next 40-60 days.

"Nobody knows for sure, so I want to start by saying that I wish I did, because there's a lot of planning that we need to do to be well prepared to manage the increase in cases," she said. "All we can do is look to what's happening in places like Italy."

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Ferrer said there is a possibility that the Los Angeles area could see a situation similar to that of Italy, where the number of cases overloads the healthcare system's capacity, especially in relation to vulnerable populations.

"We said from the very beginning that there are some populations that are at much more risk for having serious illness should they be infected with COVID-19, and it certainly is for people who are older," Ferrer said. "For every year you age after 65, you have an increased risk for having more serious illness."

To help slow the spread of the illness, Ferrer said people need to continue staying away from groups of people and, ideally, stay at home as much as possible.

"That means that you should, however, feel free to take a walk, a hike, a run, just not with a group of people," she said.

Ferrer also said that the county continues to ramp up its testing capacity and that some drive-thru sites might be available soon for people who qualify.

And though cases continued to rise, officials said the situation was still not as bad as San Francisco where more than 7 million people were ordered to stay home.

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"Shelter in place and lock down are not phrases we should be using," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Garcetti said he wanted people to understand that while staying at home is the best weapon to fight the pandemic, he knows that there are people who need to work and get around town, which means using public transit for many.

"Los Angeles Metro will keep running those buses and trains," he said. "They will be talking to us on Friday about how they are adjusting those schedules, but it will never close."

As for the homeless, there have been zero reported cases, but that number can easily change as testing capacity increases.

Both Newsom and Garcetti announced plans Wednesday to help the most vulnerable.