Los Angeles County continues to see a surge in transmission with more than 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past week, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
According to the Public Health Department, 34,448 COVID-19 positive cases were reported on Saturday, with 16 new deaths. Hospitalizations doubled in one week to 3,200 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and more than 20% of those getting tested are positive for COVID-19.
The new report brings the Los Angeles County total to 1,921,890 cases, and the number of deaths increased by 16 on Saturday — bringing the total number of deaths to 27,772 since the onset of the pandemic.
The current surge is the highest number of cases in one week since the onset of the pandemic. As a result, residents are urged to upgrade their masks to the medical-grade to help better prevent spread of coronavirus particles, according to health officials.
Additionally, health officials advised individuals to reconsider high-risk activities in indoor facilities where individuals are unmasked for a long time or crowded outdoor events.
“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “As the surge continues, we ask residents and businesses to continue following the public health safety measures that we know reduce the spread and keep people safe.”
Ferrer advised wearing a medical-grade mask to better protect against the Omicron variant.
“These upgraded masks can be a surgical mask or an N95 or KN95 respirator mask,” Ferrer said.
Public Health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Saturday:
Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 34,448
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 1,921,890
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 16
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 27,756
Hospitalizations countywide: 3,200
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Jan. 8: 71, with 1,770 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 573, 435 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita.
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 51,013
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV as of Jan. 6: 375
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of Dec. 23: 78.6%
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the SCV as of Dec. 23: 75.1%
To find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you, visit VaccinateLACounty.com, or to find a testing site, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.
