1,094 New Coronavirus Cases And 48 Deaths Confirmed In LA County

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- More than 1,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in Los Angeles County on Thursday as testing capacity continues to increase, officials said.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer confirmed 1,094 new cases in the past 24 hours and 48 deaths.

The countywide total is now at 49,774 cases and 2,241 deaths.

Ferrer said 93% of people who died had underlying health conditions.

According to officials, 20 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Thirteen percent of positive coronavirus cases have been hospitalized at some point during their illness and 1,477 remain in the hospital as of today.

As some services are able to reopen with limitations, Ferrer urged residents and businesses to still take safety precautions.

"More people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, more cases, and likely more hospitalizations and deaths," Ferrer said. "Individuals and institutions need to continue to do their part to slow the spread of the virus. For individuals, this means physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings whenever you are outside of your home and around other people. For institutions, this means closely following all directives that protect employees, customers, and people who are most vulnerable."

A new health order issued earlier this week allows houses of worship, office worksites, and in-store shopping at retail establishments to reopen, with caps on how many people can be inside the facilities at a time.

READ MORE: California Issues Guidelines For Reopening Churches, Mosques, Synagogues; LA County Allows Retail Stores To Reopen With In-Person Shopping; Asks State To Open Hair Salons, Dining Rooms

Higher-risk business operations, including salons and dining in at restaurants, are still not allowed in the county along with public and private gatherings of any size.

L.A. County is in stage two of the five-stage Roadmap to Recovery that outlines reopening guidelines.