L.A. County Reaches 7,000 COVID-19 Fatalities, Surpasses 300,000 Cases

Los Angeles County reached the “tragic milestone” of 7,000 COVID-19 deaths on Monday, while total infections detected in the county surpassed 300,000, officials said.

County public health officials reported 861 new infections and eight new deaths on Monday, which brought the county’s total infections since the onset of the pandemic to 300,614 and raised the death toll to 7,000.

Thirteen new COVID-19 infections were detected in Pasadena on Monday, said city spokesperson Lisa Derderian. They were primarily among working-age people.

With no fatalities reported in the city since Oct. 8, the virus had claimed 129 lives in Pasadena since March, according to city data. A total of 2,770 infections have been reported in the city.

Huntington Hospital officials reported treating 18 COVID-19 patients Monday.

L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said Monday’s figures were sobering.

“Today marks another tragic milestone as 7,000 L.A. County residents have passed away from COVID-19. We report these numbers each day understanding how many people across our community are grieving someone who has passed away from COVID-19. To all of you, we send our deepest sympathies,” she said.

“This pandemic has forced so many to sacrifice so much this year, and we recognize the frustration and disappointment with restrictions on large gatherings, celebrations, and events,” according to Ferrer. “For now, it is simply not safe to celebrate the way we usually do. Being close to others not in our household, carries with it a lot of risk for transmitting COVID-19, so it remains necessary to modify activities to be as safe as possible.”

While reporting figures have been staggered in recent days due to data reporting issues, health officials track the dates each patient was tested, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a written statement. The data shows a noticeable increase in viral transmission.

“Since the beginning of October, cases have increased from around 940 new cases per day to, as of last week, almost 1,200 new cases per day,” according to the statement. “This increase, while not as steep as seen in July, is cause for concern.”

Officials reported 767 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout the county on Monday.