LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals has fallen below 400 again, decreasing by 42 people to 365, according to the latest state numbers released Saturday.
Of those patients, 43 were being treated in intensive care, up one from the previous day.
County officials have said that roughly 40% of COVID-positive hospital patients were admitted specifically for COVID-19, while the others were hospitalized for other reasons but tested positive upon admission.
Saturday’s numbers come one day after the county reported 1,220 new COVID infections and 11 additional deaths associated with the virus, bringing its cumulative totals to 3,485,787 cases and 33,951 fatalities since the pandemic began.
The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus in the county was 3.9% as of Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The county does not report COVID data on weekends.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters Thursday that the county has seen slight upticks over the past week in some virus-tracking metrics, most notably the weekly infection rate, after months of steady declines. She said the increases were not an immediate cause for concern, but officials plan to closely monitor the trends heading into cooler winter months, which have led to surges in cases the past two years.