The Los Angeles Public Health Department has reported 2,056 new COVID-18 cases and 48 deaths on Saturday. This figure represents the third-highest daily case since the pandemic started earlier this year. The entire LA County now has a total of 81,636 positive cases and 3,110 deaths since the disease started, the LA Times reports.
The director of public health for the county, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, attributed the spiking cases to the lateness in lab reporting as well as the recent reopening of businesses and public facilities where people crowd together with little regard for social distancing. She said there is “increased community transmission over the past few weeks” when the government reopened businesses and public facilities.
“Each day, we are sad to report additional deaths from COVID-19 of people across our communities,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer said. “Many businesses and spaces reopened in the last month, and residents have found themselves in crowded situations at boardwalks, bars, and protests. Increased contact with others not in your household results in an increased risk of transmission of COVID-19.”
Almost 916,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 as on Saturday, with about 8% of them testing positive to the disease. A total of 1,406 patients were hospitalized as on Saturday, with 29% of them in ICU and 22% others on ventilators. This situation prompted Ferrer to warn people against mixing with others who are not members of their households without observing physical distancing, using face masks, or washing their hands. She also gave a stats of the disease spread in L.A. County.
“This is why it is more important than ever to do what we know slows the spread of the virus: Always wear a face covering and keep six feet or more of distance from others not in your household, wash hands frequently, self-isolate if you’re positive for COVID-19 and quarantine if you’re a close contact of someone who tested positive,” she said. “This is how we protect each other in the weeks ahead.”
Since Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered that face masks be worn outside of the home, many people have kicked against the idea and revolted in public places – a situation which has resulted in 413 new coronaviruses detected in Orange County on Saturday, a center of protests and clashes against Newsom’s orders.
Meanwhile, the number of daily cases in the United States spiked to 30,000 since May is what has brought lots of concerns to health officials across the country. Johns Hopkins University identified Florida, Arizona, and Texas as the states having the highest number of daily incidents in the country. On Thursday, the world recorded 150,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, prompting WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus to issue an alert that the pandemic spread is not slowing down in any way.
Source: forbes.com