Coronavirus Hospitalizations, Cases Continue Climbing In LA County
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles County health officials reported 1,809 newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 25 more fatalities Friday, bringing countywide totals to 93,232 cases and 3,267 deaths.
While the average number of daily deaths from the virus has been dropping, the number of cases continues to rise.
And while some officials say the increase is a result of increased testing capacity, public health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the rise in hospitalizations and positivity rates points to increased community spread.
The positivity rate — which shows how many people tested turn out to have the illness — rose to 8.8% Friday, up from 8.4% Thursday and well above the current statewide average of about 5.7%, according to officials.
Officials also said the number of L.A. County residents hospitalized as a result of the novel coronavirus was 1,676, well above recent averages that had been hovering between 1,350 and 1,450, but nowhere near the roughly 1,900 reached during the peak of the virus.
"While we did anticipate increases in cases as sectors reopened, we did not expect the increases to be this steep this quickly," Ferrer said in a Friday statement. "Without immediate actions to slow the spread, we risk having too many people requiring hospital care and possibly overwhelming our healthcare system."
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The recent increase in cases has been hitting the county's younger population particularly hard, health officials said — likely reflecting the reopening of bars and restaurants and participation in ongoing demonstrations against police brutality.
According to the county, the number of cases among residents aged 18-40 jumped by 44% in the past 16 days, from 24,457 on June 10 to 35,249 Thursday.
Ferrer encouraged Angelenos to continue wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing and avoiding large groups.
"Preventing the continued surge in cases and hospitalizations calls on each of us to do our part," she said. "The time for all of L.A. County to do the right thing is now. Please don't take a chance infecting someone else — wear a face covering and keep your distance."
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
