Los Angeles County continues to report a decline in the number of daily cases of new coronavirus, but officials remain concerned that Super Bowl events could block the course.
On Saturday, 4,860 newly confirmed cases and 193 related deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths nationwide to 17,955, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. The daily mortality rate has been steadily declining since mid-January, when the country averaged 241 deaths per day.
These numbers still remain much higher than pre-boom levels, and officials say the community must take all measures not to expose friends, family and co-workers to the disease.
“We express our deepest sympathy to every person who is experiencing the grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in the country. “Despite the fact that there is a decline, we are still experiencing the spread of communities in our country.”
Ferrer warned that the most risky thing people can do on Sunday is to host or attend Super Bowl Sunday parties, which could potentially turn the game into a superspreader event. She urged residents to virtually make contact or watch the game at home with those in their immediate household.
The province has introduced a series of restrictions: private gatherings are limited to 15 people, from no more than three households, and must be kept out, with participants wearing masks and keeping physical distance. Restaurants that were allowed to reopen their outlying areas last week are banned from making televisions available for visitors to watch the game.
Los Angeles has seen significant relief from the virus over the past few weeks. The seven-day average of new cases dropped from about 15,100 to about 5,600 cases per day.
Yet the intensive care units in the hospital remain tense and the death toll is still high. In all, more than 43,000 people have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Officials have also confirmed that additional cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, are a rare and potentially deadly viral disease that infects children exposed to the coronavirus. Symptoms include non-disappearing fever and inflamed body parts, including heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
Health officials on Saturday confirmed nine additional cases of MIS-C, bringing the total number of cases in LA County to 75 children, including one death. Latino children are responsible for 76% of all reported MIS-C cases.
COVID-19 vaccine supply remains limited. Visit the LA County Department of Public Health website for information on vaccines and to find out when it’s your turn.
Meanwhile, Orange County health officials on Saturday reported 739 new cases of coronavirus and 33 additional deaths, resulting in the province’s total of 237,077 cases and 3,312 deaths.