COVID-19 Cases In Los Angeles Surpass 1 Million, The Highest In The United States

Illustration of a quiet area in Los Angeles due to COVID-19. (ralphkayden / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Los Angeles is the first region in the United States to report more than 1 million cases of COVID-19 infection. This is obtained from the results of last weekend's report.

Los Angeles reported 14,669 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday last week and 253 deaths. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health data shows a total of 1,003,923 cases of COVID-19 and 13,741 deaths.

The department also announced the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 in a man who had traveled to Los Angeles, who is currently undergoing isolation in Oregon.

"The presence of the British variant in Los Angeles County is worrying, as our healthcare system is already severely overloaded, with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized," said Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

"Our community has borne the brunt of the winter wave, experiencing a large number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times what we experienced during the summer. This more contagious variant makes it easier to spread infections in our workplaces, shops and in our homes. We are in the midst of a public health emergency, so do everything you can to protect yourself and your loved ones, "added Ferrer.

John Hopkins University (JHU) data on the total cases in Los Angeles County exceeded those of Cook County (429,270 cases) and Maricopa County (407,631 cases) which were the second and third most infected regions in the United States.

To date, the United States is the country with the largest cases of COVID-19 and deaths from COVID-19 globally, where there were 23.7 million cases of infection and 395,785 deaths.

Meanwhile, 31.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed across the United States, with 12.2 million of these having been given, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.