Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 5,925 new cases of the coronavirus and 124 related deaths, a further sign that the outbreak may be declining, but it comes at a time when the state has begun easing restrictions. to spread the virus.
The numbers in the cases are usually less on weekends because not all laboratories report the results. The data continues to reinforce evidence that the region stems from a brutal boom that began in late October and is almost overwhelmed in hospitals.
Hospitalizations have also continued to decline since peaking earlier this month. There were 5,398 COVID-19 patients in LA County hospitals as of Saturday, down 26 percent from two weeks earlier, when there were 7,322 patients.
“Although some restrictions have only been lifted in our district, we are still in a very dangerous period in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the province’s health, said in a statement. “We all want our businesses that are currently operating to stay open and to reopen more safely in the future. Our business rates must continue to fall. ”
The apparent signs of progress came when the state took steps to reopen some businesses excluded by the pandemic.
On Monday, California officials lifted local coronavirus home orders across the state and brought provinces back to the color-coded level system that assigns local risk levels based on the number of cases and the positive test results for coronavirus infections.
Most areas, including Southern California, are still classified under the press ‘widespread’ risk level, allowing hair salons to offer limited services indoors but limiting many other non-essential indoor business activities. As part of the shift, restaurants were also allowed to reopen for outdoor dining.
But Ferrer encouraged people to continue wearing masks, practicing social distance and avoiding meeting with people outside their households.
“Just because some sectors have reopened does not mean that the risk of community transfer has disappeared; it has not, and each of us has to make very careful choices about what we do and how we do it, ‘she said.
The new numbers total the province’s 1116,892 cases of the virus, and 16,770 people have died, according to The Times’ tracker.
Ferrer also warned that health officials have confirmed a second case in Los Angeles County of the British coronavirus variant, which spreads more easily. New research reinforces the case that the COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States and elsewhere should protect against the new variant.
Nevertheless, Ferrer urged the public to be vigilant against the spread of the virus, while the race to vaccinate the population continues. Those currently eligible for the vaccination are front-line health workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities and residents of the province 65 years and older.
“This virus is strong, and we are now concerned about variants and what it will mean in our region,” she said. The presence of the British variant in Los Angeles County “means that virus transmission can take place more easily, and residents and businesses must more diligently implement and follow all the personal protection and safety measures that have been put in place.”
Orange County on Saturday reported 1,355 new cases of the virus and 44 deaths as hospitalization continues to decline, to 1,412 patients, a decrease of about 28% from two weeks earlier.