LA County reports nearly 13,000 new COVID cases since Saturday
Los Angeles County reported nearly 13,000 new COVID-19 cases Monday covering infections from the past three days.
The new cases brought the county's total caseload to 3,038,588.
According to the county Department of Public Health, 6,385 virus cases were confirmed Saturday, 3,583 were reported Sunday and 2,998 were announced Monday.
Officials also reported 17 deaths since Saturday bringing the death toll to 32,218.
As of Monday, there are 593 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals with 62 people being treated in intensive care.
"The concern with the rapidity of emerging highly infectious variants is that for each new variant, we need to reassess how much the new strain evades vaccine protection, causes severe illness, and avoids detection with current tests," Ferrer said in a statement Monday.
"And to be dominant, the new strains are likely to be even more infectious than the previous strains. Until we have a more precise understanding of how the new viral strains interact with us and our community, we need to remain vigilant and cautious. This includes layering protections to keep those most vulnerable as safe as possible, including wearing masks indoors, getting tested before gathering or attending events, and staying home if you are sick."
Last week Ferrer said that if hospitalizations continue to climb at the current rate, the county could move into the CDC's "high" category by early July.
