By City News Service
May 10, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County reported 248 new cases of COVID-19 and five additional deaths Sunday, though health officials say the relatively low numbers likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend.
According to state figures, there were 389 people hospitalized with the virus as of Sunday in Los Angeles County, down from 400 on Saturday. The number of those patients in intensive care increased from 87 to 90.
Sunday's figures brought the county's totals to 1,235,561 cases and 23,999 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The county's average number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 has fallen to its lowest point since the onset of the pandemic. The county's five-day average daily number of people hospitalized due to COVID was 389 as of Friday. Officials have been touting vaccinations as the key to keeping hospital beds empty, noting that inoculated residents are highly protected from infection, but even if they do still contract the virus, they are extremely unlikely to wind up hospitalized.