LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles County became the first in the United States to exceed one million cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began early last year, local health officials have said.
The country’s most populous county, with 10 million people, reported 14,669 new confirmed cases and 253 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing its cumulative infection total to 1,003,923, while the death toll stood at 13,741, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
There are 7,597 Covid-19 patients currently hospitalized in the county, 22% of whom are in intensive care, Xinhua News Agency reported citing the department in a statement.
The ministry also confirmed the first case of the new strain of coronavirus, which was first discovered in the UK.
The individual who contracted the virus is a man who recently spent time in Los Angeles County but traveled to Oregon, where he is currently in quarantine.
The most contagious variant has already been detected in San Diego and San Bernardino, in southern California.
“The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County means that transmission of the virus can occur more easily and residents must more diligently follow the safety measures put in place to avoid additional cases, hospitalizations and deaths, ”officials noted in the statement.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has warned the presence of the British variant in Los Angeles is troubling as the county’s health system is already under strain.
“Our community is taking the brunt of the winter push, facing a huge number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times more than we have experienced in the summer. This more contagious variant facilitates the spread of infections in the workplace, in our homes, ”she added.
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