“One person dies every 10 minutes in Los Angeles County because of COVID-19,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement, “and since many of those deaths are avoidable, our collective focus should be to do good to save lives. ”
According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Thursday, there are about 6,500 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the county, 20% of whom are in intensive care units with a high pandemic. In the last week alone, according to the department, the number of patients with Covid-19 in hospitals has increased by more than 1,600.
“I hope everyone can find the strength and courage to take responsibility for the well-being of others,” said Ferrer, who urged Southern California to follow public health guidelines such as staying home and taking a mask while in public. “These are the only tools that will work right now.”
On Thursday, statewide, 351 deaths were recorded, the third-highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day, and raised the death toll in California to 23,635, by public health officials.
The state registered more than 39,000 new cases on Thursday. This week it became the first state to surpass 2 million cases of Covid-19, “a worrying milestone,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services.
“Hospitals are full, ICU beds are few, people are dying,” Ghaly said in a press release. “The easiest thing we can do, but also the most significant thing, is to stay home. We are the first line of defense against this virus and we need to act now.”