Los Angeles has become the first county in the country to have more than 1 million cases of coronavirus, health officials said.
More than 14,669 new cases were reported on Saturday, bringing the total to 1,003,923, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
The gloomy landmark comes because there are 7,597 people currently hospitalized with the virus and have had at least 13,741 deaths.
“Our community bears the brunt of winter growth, experiencing a large number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times higher than we experienced in the summer,” said Barbara Ferrer, who is the director of the county’s Public Health Department.
Health officials also confirmed on Saturday its first case of a new strain of coronavirus first detected in the United Kingdom.
The patient is a man who recently spent time in the county and now travels to Oregon, where he is isolated.
“This more contagious variant facilitates the spread of infections in the workplace, in stores and in our homes,” Ferrer said. “We are in the midst of a public health emergency, so please do everything you can to protect yourself and those you love.”