Daily COVID-19 death count soars to new heights in California

LOS ANGELES — More than 530 Californians are now dying every day from COVID-19, pushing several counties past new, grim milestones.

Just this week, Santa Clara County and Sacramento County each reported its 1,000th cumulative COVID-19 death, while San Diego County notched its 2,000th.

And Los Angeles County, long the epicenter of California’s coronavirus outbreak, officially surpassed 13,000 pandemic-related fatalities Thursday — a death toll larger than all but nine states.

“When we ask our residents to stay home and follow the rules and businesses to follow the health officer orders, it is to stop the loss of life from COVID-19,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “This disease is running rampant right now, and we continue to plead with residents, businesses and government, the community, to do all possible to stop the spread.”

More than 6,300 Californians have died from COVID-19 since New Year’s Day, a two-week total that represents roughly 20% of the state’s 32,300-plus total of coronavirus-related fatalities.

The most-populous state in the union now has the country’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll, behind only New York, according to data compiled by the Los Angeles Times. Overall, California still has the 13thlowest death rate among states when adjusting for population — with about 83 coronavirus fatalities per 100,000 residents.