LOS ANGELES – The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County reached its highest level over the weekend since the pandemic began, as 15 children were diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening inflammatory syndrome related to the virus .
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health registered 2,216 people at the hospital Sunday, breaking the previous record of 2,193 on July 15.
Of those currently hospitalized, 26 percent are in intensive care and 19 percent use ventilators, authorities said.
“We continue to achieve related milestones and today we are seeing the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s director of public health, in a statement.
“Right now, young adults are being hospitalized at a rate never seen before,” he added. “No matter how young you are, you are vulnerable to this virus.”
Authorities said more than half of the 2,848 new COVID-19 cases reported Sunday were involving people under the age of 41.
The increase in the number of cases occurs when 15 children were identified last week with an inflammatory syndrome, MIS-C, related to the virus.
Most of the children, 73 percent, are Latino, the public health department said.
MIS-C is a condition in which different parts of the body can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. So far there have been six syndrome-related deaths across the country, according to health officials.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti reiterated Sunday that the city was “on the verge” of reissuing an order to stay home due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and implored the public to pay attention to safety precautions, such as wearing a mask and social distancing.
He also acknowledged that the state had lifted the virus-related restrictions too soon.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand, mayors often have no control over what opens and doesn’t, that’s at the state or county level, and I agree that those things (reopening of businesses) happened too quickly Garcetti told CNN on Sunday.
“It’s not just about what opens and closes, it’s also about what we do individually,” he added. “It is about people who gather outside their homes.
“You might think because they had a test two weeks ago, that’s fine, but it’s not.”
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