California nears 9,000 coronavirus-related deaths after 2 days of record-setting fatalities
LOS ANGELES – California is approaching another coronavirus milestone: 9,000 deaths after a major surge in infections.
The rising death toll comes as officials are trying to slow outbreaks across the state that followed the reopening of the economy in late May and early June.
As of Thursday morning, California had recorded at least 8,912 deaths and at least 485,831 cases. Los Angeles County now has a cumulative death toll from the coronavirus of at least 4,518 and at least 183,456 confirmed cases.
The Golden State set single-day records twice this week for the number of coronavirus-related deaths. On consecutive days, California broke its daily record, with 174 deaths Tuesday and 189 deaths Wednesday. L.A. County confirmed a single-day record of 91 deaths Wednesday, attributing the high number to a backlog in data reporting from July 23 to Sunday.
Officials in L.A. County said Wednesday it’s essential that people follow social distancing rules and wear masks in public to slow the spread.
“I know we’re all eager and anxious to see our lives return to normal,”
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “We do have the tools at hand to make this a reality in the future. But we need compliance with our directives.”
Health officials say the public’s more careful social behavior, along with newly reissued restrictions on public life, has led to a recent decline in some numbers, including hospitalizations, the sevenday average for positive infections, and the projected transmission rate. But more cases and deaths continue to be reported each day.
“When we let our guard down, the virus spreads,” county Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said.
In the San Joaquin Valley, an eight-county region of the Central Valley stretching from Stockton to Bakersfield, pandemic conditions have deteriorated dramatically. In the weeklong period that ended on Memorial Day, 42 residents there died of COVID-19; in the seven-day period that ended Monday, 105 residents had died.
Deaths also are on the upswing in the seven-county Sacramento region. Over the same time period, weekly deaths rose from four to 25.