LA County Reports 46 New Coronavirus Deaths And 1,155 New Cases

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Los Angeles County health officials reported 46 new deaths and 1,155 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday.

Out of the 46 deaths, 34 patients were above 65 years old and 12 had underlying health conditions.

The reports of rising cases across the county comes as testing capacity continues to increase.

To date, testing results are available for nearly 646,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive, officials said.

"LA County has suffered a great deal of loss from COVID-19," said LA County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said. "As a community, we are mourning with the families and friends who have passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with you every day."

The public health department has extended support to residents peacefully protesting but also urged participants to practice physical distancing when possible and wear face coverings.

READ MORE: 'There's A Lot Of Risk': LA County Health Officials Urge Protesters To Wear Masks

Officials have identified 58,234 positive cases of coronavirus across all areas of LA County, and a total of 2,489 deaths since the pandemic began.

The best protection against coronavirus is to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, stay at home if you are sick, practice physical distancing and wear a clean face covering in public.