Los Angeles County reported Wednesday the highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since late August as the most populous county in the United States is moving forward on reopening amid the pandemic, reports Xinhua.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 1,645 new cases and 30 new deaths in a daily update. But public health officials said it's not indicative of a trend and the department will continue monitoring the number of new cases reported closely along with other key indicators.
A total of 696 cases are currently hospitalized, 28 percent of whom are in the ICU, according to the department.
As of Wednesday, in the county with a population of over 10 million, a total of 6,709 people have died from the epidemic, and a total of 277,445 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Los Angeles County is working to further reopen its shuttered businesses amid the pandemic. Indoor shopping malls in the county with no outside access are allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity. Breweries and wineries are also allowed to operate outdoors and offer sit-down dining with a permitted caterer, restaurant, or food truck.
Limited in-door operations at nail salons, outdoor operations for cardrooms, outside playgrounds have been approved for reopening by county officials over the past week.
