Upon discussions about reopening Los Angeles County, Public Health has confirmed 1,343 new COVID-19 positive cases and 13 deaths on Saturday.
The latest update, which also shows 732 in current hospitalizations, comes after Barbara Ferrer said the county is seeing its lowest average testing-positivity rate of the pandemic.
While the numbers may show a small let-up, L.A. County is still far from in the clear. On Friday Governor Gavin Newsom shared that in order for a county to move to more lax COVID-19 operations, new daily cases must be less than seven per 100,000 residents. Los Angeles county still remains in the purple zone, averaging at least 8.1 cases per 100,000 residents.
To date, Public Health has counted a total of 259,817 positive COVID-19 cases throughout Los Angeles County and 6,330 deaths.
In the latest update Los Angeles officials say that daily case rates have seen a rise over the past four days, which may be a result of testing centers re-opening and more residents getting tested. The rise, however, could also indicate increased transmission over the Labor Day holiday weekend, officials say.
Despite seeing an increase from Friday’s 1,148 new cases in the latest statistics, Public Health says the county’s test positivity rate continues to remain stable at 3% for the past week.
In addition to urging residents to keep a safe social distance from each other and to wear face coverings when out in public, Los Angeles officials also warned potential beach-goers that such spaces may be packed. Even outdoor spaces can pose transmission risks, L.A. Public Health says.
COVID-19 Daily Update:
September 19, 2020
New Cases: 1,343 (259,817 to date)
New Deaths: 13 (6,330 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 732 pic.twitter.com/GPIP8TcrIo— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) September 19, 2020