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Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 1,192 new cases of COVID-19 and nine related deaths, but said both numbers were artificially low due to a weekend lag.
LA County has reported a total of over 222,000 cases and over 5,240 deaths.
The latest case numbers did not include a pending backlog of lab reports that the county had been waiting for the state to send through its electronic notification system for more than a week. The backlog was generated by a series of data failures that led to hundreds of thousands of test results not uploaded to the system. It’s unclear how many of the unreported findings came from LA County and whether they will change the picture of how the virus continues to spread here. The number of deaths and hospitalizations has not been affected by the reporting problem, officials said.
There were 1,341 confirmed COVID-19 patients in LA County hospitals on Saturday, with about 32% in intensive care, according to the state. As of mid-July, there were approximately 2,200 patients.
Authorities continued to warn people to take necessary precautions, especially as a heat wave swept through the area.
“Because there are so many people infected with COVID-19 who are spreading the virus who have no symptoms, and we ourselves could be infected and spread the virus without knowing it, each of us must do everything its possible to avoid being close to others not with us, ”said Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, in a statement. “With the hot weather it can be difficult as we try to find places to go to relieve the heat.”
Yet, she said, officials continue to ask people to stay home as much as possible and leave only to perform essential activities such as work and groceries and medication.
“If you are going to the beach or the park, remember to keep at least six feet from those you do not live with, to wear masks at all times when you are not at home , avoid crowded places and wash your hands. frequently, ”she says. “We need to work together to reduce our case rate so that our children can go back to school and more people can go back to work.”
Meanwhile, Orange County reported 342 new cases of COVID-19 and one death on Sunday, bringing its total to 43,709 cases and 810 deaths.
Hospitalizations continued to decline there too, with 422 patients confirmed on Saturday, up from 554 two Saturdays ago.
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