LA County Reports 3,698 Newly Confirmed Cases Of Coronavirus; 53 Deaths

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Authorities on Saturday released new confirmed cases of COVID-19 for Los Angeles County, reporting that, of those, about 54 percent involved younger adults under the age of 30.

As of Saturday, public health officials say there have been 53 new confirmed deaths, and 3,628 new confirmed cases for the county. Of those, 76 percent of the new cases occurred in people under 50. The new numbers were also a reflection of a backlog of positive results, officials indicated.

Of the confirmed cases, 2,016 were currently hospitalized, with 15 percent on ventilators.

To date, there have been 172,325 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 4,351 deaths.

"To the families that are grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we send you our deepest sympathies and prayers to you every day. We're also thinking of the many people who are hospitalized, sick and recovering from this virus," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "I know these are frustrating times and that we want life to return to normal. We want to join our friends for dinner inside a restaurant and gather with extended family for a summer barbecue. Unfortunately, we just are not at a point where those activities are safe."

Ferrer urged the public to commit to behaviors that will reduce the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings, avoiding gatherings with people we don't live with, washing your hands frequently, and keeping a physical distance from others.