LA County reports 3,628 new cases of COVID-19, 53 deaths

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County reported 3,628 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 53 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing the county's totals to 172,325 cases and 4,351 fatalities.

Officials said the higher totals -- coming after 1,949 new cases were reported Friday and 2,014 on Thursday -- were due in part to a resolution in California's electronic lab system and inclusion of backlogged positive results.

Younger adults still make up the majority of new positive cases, with 76% of the cases announced Saturday occurring in people under 50 years old, and 54% of those among people under the age of 30, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The confirmed number of people hospitalized with the virus was 2,016, with 30% of those in intensive care. But officials said there are a total of 2,598 confirmed and suspect cases currently hospitalized, and 15% of these people are on ventilators.

The hospitalization data is incomplete due to changes in reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"To the families that are grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest sympathies and prayers to you every day. We're also thinking of the many people who are hospitalized, sick and recovering from this virus,'' said Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director.

"I know these are frustrating times and that we want life to return to normal. ... Unfortunately, we just are not at a point where those activities are safe. We need to commit to the behaviors that we know will reduce our infection rate and slow the spread of the virus. In order to stay safe, we need to continue wearing face coverings, avoiding gatherings with people we don't live with, we need to wash our hands frequently, and keep physical distance from others. These are effective tools, that when used consistently, reduce transmission of the virus and save lives.''

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Testing results were available for 1,621,670 individuals, with 10% of all people testing positive.

Hospitalizations have been an area of concern in recent weeks, with the number topping 2,200 in Los Angeles County for five consecutive days this week, the highest levels of the pandemic.

Health officials did note that the number of new hospitalizations in L.A. County appeared to be leveling off, and possibly even decreasing, following a precipitous climb in mid-July.

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