Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Latest COVID-19 Case Number From LA County
PPE hangs near the entrance to a COVID-19 testing site in Echo Park. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
()
L.A. County public health officials, using a phrase that's become common for them since the start of this pandemis, said today that they are "cautiously optimistic" about current hospitalization trends.
“After a fairly rough July, we are cautiously optimistic about what our numbers are showing in the first week of August, particularly the information on declining daily hospitalizations," said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer in a statement
Authorities noted that they have confidence in the hospitalization numbers which recorded at the local level. They are less confident in some of the other numbers, cautioning that they are still awaiting a backlog of cases from the state to clear up in coming days.
With that caveat, they reported:
- 51 new deaths | 4,967 total deaths
- 2,645 new cases | 206,761 total confirmed cases
In all, 1,610 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, about a third of them in ICU beds, according to county officials.
Support for LAist comes from
So far, the county has test results for some 1.9 million residents and 10% of those people have tested positive.
Still, a significant backlog in COVID-19 tests — as much as 300,000 tests in all — remain unreported by the state due to technical issues with California's tracking database.
Ferrer told us late last week that with so many test results missing, county officials do not have a clear picture of the pandemic's spread. State officials say they have identified and fixed issues with the CalREDIE system. But the missing tests still need to be processed, and the data shared with counties.
Ferrer said counties depend on that information:
"So that we can do those interviews with people who are positive and find out who their close contacts are so that both groups of people can be told that they need to stay inside, away from other people."
OVERALL LOOK AT LA COUNTY NUMBERS:
Here's a look at longer-term trends in the county. To see more, visit our California COVID-19 Tracker and choose L.A. County or any other California county that interests you. These numbers are current as of Friday, Aug. 7:
Support for LAist comes from
()
()
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist