County exceeds 800,000 Covid-19 cases and 10,600 total deaths

Los Angeles County ended 2020 breaking Covid-19 records and ushered in the new year by doing the same.

Los Angeles public health officials reported on Saturday that LA County had exceeded 800,000 total cases of the coronavirus – nearly half of the cases reported last month. To date, Los Angeles County has confirmed 806,210 cases of Covid-19 and reported a total of 10,682 coronavirus-related deaths.

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As Los Angeles approaches the anniversary of the first reported Covid-19 case, officials are confirming 15,701 new cases and 138 coronavirus-related deaths as of Saturday alone. The month of December, defined by continued lockdowns, closings and holiday gatherings, marked the fastest acceleration of new cases throughout the pandemic, officials said in a statement.

As of Saturday, 7,627 patients are currently hospitalized for the infectious disease. Hospitalizations continue to increase while intensive care capacity continuously decreases. Since last Saturday, 850 more Angelenos have been hospitalized with coronavirus.

The latest Covid-19 tally for LA County comes shortly after California officials declared New Year’s Friday the deadliest day in the pandemic for the state. Officials on Friday reported 585 Covid-related deaths, a 37% increase from Thursday’s tally.

Finally, as the first doses of Moderna and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine reach healthcare workers across the state, officials have identified several cases of a new strain of Covid-19 that is more contagious in Big Bear – the same variant reported Colorado and the UK.

During a press briefing, Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said that while there have been no reported cases of the new Covid-19 strain in LA County, that does not mean that it does not spread.

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