Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials said Saturday they’ve seen the largest one-day increase in deaths and new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began, with 28 more fatalities and 711 new cases in the past 24 hours.
“This is the most dramatic increase in deaths we have seen since the COVID-19 crisis began, and our condolences go out to each and every person impacted by these heartbreaking losses,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County public health director. “Though COVID-19 can infect people of all ages, most of the deaths we see continue to be among individuals over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions.”
Ferrer called on local residents to offer support to the elderly and others she described as “vulnerable” to COVID-19.
“Now, more than ever, we must unify as a community to protect this vulnerable population by making sure they are able to stay home and take every precaution,” she said “These are tough times, but we are a caring LACounty, and we will get through this together.”
Of the 28 people who died, 21 had underlying health conditions, and 17 were over the age of 65.
Ferrer said the county has been testing about 7,000 people a day. While the new numbers spiked Saturday, she noted that there’s often a long wait for results to come in.
The new numbers bring the total cases in L.A. county since the outbreak began to 5,277 and 117 deaths, according to the Department of Public Health website.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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