California and Los Angeles County reported a record number of deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, 197 and 91 respectively, as the southern California metropolis remains an access point, according to a report.
The record of 4,825 new cases in Los Angeles County on Wednesday was due in part to a delay last weekend, county public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said, according to FOX 11.
The deaths included three people between the ages of 18 and 29, two of whom had underlying health conditions.
California overtook New York as the state with the most cases last week, and Florida, which reported a record 216 deaths on Wednesday, now has the second-highest number of cases in the U.S.
“I also know that the only way to get back to normal with recovery is to adopt behaviors that keep us in this moment with members of our households as much as possible,” Ferrer said in a coronavirus update briefing. “Even if you don’t feel sick, you could become infected and pass the virus on to someone who is vulnerable: your parents or grandparents, someone with an underlying health condition, and they could get devastatingly sick.”
Face masks continue to be necessary in California, and dinner services in restaurants, gyms, and salons are restricted to outdoor spaces only. Movie theaters remain closed.
In a sign of progress, the transmission rate for each person in Los Angeles County has dropped to less than one, compared to more than three in June, The Los Angeles Times reported. Hospitalizations have continued at the same rate, FOX 11 reported.
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The state has reported a total of more than 8,900 deaths.
