Single-day death toll hits new high mark
COVID-19 fatalities Tuesday totaled 132, pushing California’s tally past 3,400.
California recorded 132 fatalities Tuesday. Meanwhile, counties keep pursuing plans to reopen economies.
California recorded 132 new coronavirus-related fatalities Tuesday — the most in a single day since the pandemic began — as counties across the state continue cementing plans to reopen their economies.
The highest number of deaths previously reported in a single day statewide was 117 in late April. Tuesday’s rise, which comes on a day when data from the previous weekend is typically released, pushed the state’s death toll past 3,400. The number of confirmed cases statewide had climbed to 85,728 by Wednesday, according to data compiled by The Times.
While the death count continues to rise, other metrics show progress, enough that even some of the most cautious local health officials have agreed to begin slowly reopening businesses and public spaces.
The number of new coronavirus cases across California declined from the previous week, and hospitalizations have fallen more than 15% from a peak six weeks ago, according to a Times analysis.
In Los Angeles County, which has become the epicenter of the utbreak in California, officials have cautioned that reopening will be more difficult than in other parts of the state.
County health officials on Wednesday reported 1,324 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the infection total to 40,857. Officials also reported 57 additional fatalities, bringing the death toll to 1,970.
Nearly 6,000 of those who have tested positive have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Currently, 1,531 patients who are positive for COVID-19 are being hospitalized, said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
“Each day we continue to see a slight decrease in the number of people who are hospitalized,” Ferrer said. “This is good news.”
As the number of cases continues to tick upward, county officials on Wednesday reemphasized their goal of reopening more of the economy by July 4. The mission is to reopen retail businesses, restaurants and malls at a steady pace while trying to avoid additional outbreaks, Supervisor
Kathryn Barger said.
“When we first put in place ‘Safer at Home,’ there was a lot we didn’t know about COVID-19, and we’ve learned a lot since then,” she said. “The goal was not to kill business; the goal was to slow the infections, and as we have been able to lift restrictions, we are doing that, and the goal is to do it in a safe and responsible manner.” The proposed timeline was first unveiled Tuesday during a meeting of the county’s Economic Resiliency Task Force, which has been charged with developing plans for restoring the region’s economy.
More than 1 million unemployment claims have been filed in Los Angeles County to date, and more than 75% of the projected job losses are in positions that pay $50,000 a year or less. Restaurants and retail businesses are among the hardest hit, according to data presented to the task force.
“The longer we stay closed in certain sectors, particularly small businesses and restaurants, the odds are that they will not be able to come back,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “I feel that we have to get to the point that we learn to live with the virus. We cannot stay locked down forever.”
Currently, most retail stores and restaurants are allowed to provide curbside pickup, while hiking trails and parks have reopened and active recreation is allowed at beaches. Face coverings are still required, and gatherings are not permitted in the county.
Though several counties have been given permission for dine-in restaurant service and in-store shopping, officials say L.A. County is not yet ready to take that step.
Times staff writer Sean Greene and Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.