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Los Angeles County public health officials on Sunday reported 5,925 new cases of the coronavirus and 124 associated deaths, another sign the outbreak may be leveling off, but this comes at a time when the state has started to ease regulations. restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the disease. virus.
The number of cases tends to be lower on weekends, as not all labs report their results. Still, the data strengthens evidence that the region is emerging from a brutal wave that began in late October and nearly overwhelmed hospitals in the region.
Hospitalizations have also continued to decline from their peak earlier this month. There were 5,398 COVID-19 patients in LA County hospitals on Saturday, a decrease of about 26% from two weeks earlier, when there were 7,322 patients.
“Although some restrictions have just been lifted in our county, we are still in a very dangerous time in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” said Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, in a statement. communicated. “We all want our businesses now in operation to remain open and to reopen safely in the future. Our case rates must continue to decline. “
The apparent signs of progress came as the state moved to reopen some businesses that had been shut down by the pandemic.
California officials on Monday lifted regional coronavirus home care orders statewide, returning counties to the color-coded tier system that assigns local risk levels based on the number of cases and outcome rates positive tests for coronavirus infections.
Most areas, including Southern California, continue to be classified in the “generalized” purple risk level, which allows hair salons to offer limited services indoors but restricts many other operations. non-essential commercial inside. As part of the change, restaurants were also allowed to reopen for outdoor dining.
But Ferrer urged people to continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid congregating with people outside their homes.
“Because some areas have reopened, that doesn’t mean the risk of community transmission has gone; it is not, and each of us must make very careful choices about what we do and how we do it, ”she said.
The new figures bring the county’s total to 1,116,892 cases of the virus and 16,770 people have died, according to the Times tracker.
Ferrer also warned that health officials had confirmed a second case in Los Angeles County of the British coronavirus variant, which spreads more easily. New research strengthens the case that COVID-19 vaccines given in the United States and elsewhere should protect against the new variant.
Still, Ferrer urged the public to remain vigilant to guard against the spread of the virus as the race to vaccinate the population continues. People currently eligible for the vaccine include frontline health care workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and county residents aged 65 and over.
“This virus is powerful, and we are now concerned about the variants and their significance in our region,” she said. The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County “means that transmission of the virus can occur more easily, and residents and businesses should more diligently implement and monitor all personal protection measures and measures. security measures in place. ”
Orange County reported 1,355 new cases of the virus and 44 deaths on Saturday, as its hospitalizations also continued to decline, to 1,412 patients, a decrease of about 28% from two weeks earlier.
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