The number of COVID-19-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals jumped back over 700 on Wednesday, Fe. 8, while health officials reported 1,105 new COVID-19 infections and 18 more virus-related deaths.
The new cases gave the county a cumulative total from throughout the pandemic of 3,684,945.
The daily case numbers released by the county’s Department of Public Health are undercounts of actual virus activity, due to people who use at-home tests and don’t report the results, and others who don’t test at all.
With 18 more fatalities, the county’s overall virus-related death toll rose to 35,386.
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The majority of those who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hearts disease or hypertension.
According to state figures, there were 773 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Wednesday, up sharply from 692 on Tuesday. Of those patients, 76 were being treated in intensive care units, down from 83 a day earlier.
The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 5.9% as of Wednesday, roughly the same rate as the past week.
Masks are still required indoors at health-care and congregate-care facilities in the county, and for anyone exposed to the virus in the past 10 days, and at businesses where they are required by the owner. Masks are strongly recommended for high-risk individuals, and for people riding public transit.