Los Angeles County has seen a record week for the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
More than 4,000 Los Angeles County residents have died from COVID-19-related causes, and more than 150,000 cases of the virus have been reported, authorities announced Friday.
Those numbers came shortly after Thursday’s total of 4,506 new coronavirus cases, which broke the previous one-day record of 4,244 that was set just two days earlier.
It was the county’s worst week for new infections since the pandemic began, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday, with 23,310 new cases topping the 17,000 added the previous week.
“The simple truth of this fight is that this virus increasingly affects us,” said Garcetti.
A similar surge is taking place in California, which has now tallied 374,522 confirmed cases of the virus and 7,613 deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times’ California Coronavirus Tracker.
On Tuesday, the state recorded its highest number of new cases in a single day, 11,142, and its second highest number of deaths: 144r.
Although Los Angeles County residents still account for more than half of the state’s deaths, they account for a decreasing share of the total number of cases, about 40%, compared to nearly 50% in mid-May.
In the past two weeks, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have reported higher coronavirus case rates by capital than Los Angeles County, according to a Times analysis.
In addition to new cases, hospitalizations also continue to rise. According to experts, that metric is particularly worrying because an excessive increase in patients could risk overwhelming the health system.
Los Angeles County reported a record number of confirmed coronavirus patients at its hospitals on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. There were 2,122 such patients on Friday, with 26% in intensive care and 18% on ventilators. The most recent three-day average of daily hospitalizations represents a 13% increase, according to the Department of Public Health panel that tracks reopening metrics.
In an attempt to stem the rebound, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the closing of bars in Los Angeles County and several others on June 28, followed by dinner at an indoor restaurant on July 1. Authorities have said it will take at least three weeks to know if the closings had an effect.
