LA County reports close to 13,000 new COVID-19 cases shattering the old one-day record set less than a week ago.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti just said a person is dying from the coronavirus every 20-minutes in LA County.
It's an alarming figure given that about 10 percent of people who become infected eventually end up in the hospital. And local medical centers are quickly filling up.
Hospitalizations, which are setting records daily, have now topped 3,600.
"Like a speeding car approaching a cliff, if we do not rapidly change course, we are in jeopardy of catastrophic consequences with our hospitals being overwhelmed and severely ill patients not able to get the care they need," Dr. Paul Simon, the county's chief science officer, says. "Right now at this very dangerous time, people need to stay home at all times if possible."
Simply put, Simon says people should act like they did this spring, when few were venturing out. Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County are approaching 490,000.
With more than six dozen new deaths being reported, including the first one of a child, the total is now more 8,100.