Los Angeles County Reports Continuing Decline Of Coronavirus Hospitalizations
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Los Angeles County has reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases and 10 additional deaths as of Sunday, according to health officials.
The daily numbers were lower than they were in nearly two months, and coronavirus-related hospitalizations are also continuing to fall.
Hospitalizations were at 1,116 in L.A. County on Saturday and decreased to 1,089 on Sunday, which is well below last month's average of more than 2,000 coronavirus patients.
Of the currently hospitalized patients in L.A. County, 32% are in intensive care, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
While the declining numbers do offer some optimism about cases in the county, health experts continue to urge residents to keep following physical distancing and face-covering guidelines, and to avoid gatherings with non-household members.
"It is evident we are making progress, and this is a testament to the collective efforts of so many. As we evaluate how to best continue our recovery journey without experiencing the spikes we saw in July, we need to consider the magnitude of increased exposures created with each sector re-opening," said the county's public health director Barbara Ferrer. "Moving forward, especially in a county as large as ours, requires a thoughtful assessment of what measures are in place to protect residents and employees. Whether we are looking at how to best support school children, or hair salon operators, we have to move forward responsibly since there is no path to economic recovery without slowing the spread of COVID-19. Not respecting the seriousness of the pandemic only makes it harder to open up more of our county.''
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday shared an updated method to track efforts of California counties in slowing the spread of coronavirus and offer guidance on further reopening schools and businesses.
Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura Counties have released plans to reopen certain businesses for indoor operations but L.A. County said its officials have not fully reviewed the new guidance from the state, and no changes have been made to the local health orders.
To date, there have been 240,749 coronavirus cases and 5,769 fatalities in L.A. County during the pandemic.
For more information about coronavirus testing in L.A. County, please visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.
Details about testing in other counties throughout the state can be found at https://covid19.ca.gov/testing-and-treatment/.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
