Los Angeles County announced 40 people died from COVID-19 on April 14, the highest number the county has recorded in a single day since the pandemic began. The county also announced 670 new cases on April 14, bringing the total number of cases to 10,047 and 367 deaths. The COVID-19 death rate in the county is now 3.6%.
“I know that this represents lives that have been lived, with close families and friends who are now mourning this terrible loss,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.
On April 13, there were 239 new cases in the county, which was the lowest number since March 26. However, Ferrer cautioned at the time this likely was due to less testing over the weekend.
On April 13, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said California’s peak in new cases and deaths could occur on April 17 and 19, respectively.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), outlined a series of criteria for him to start lifting the state’s shelter-in-place order on April 14, including more widespread testing, tracing, and isolation of new case;, making sure the healthcare sector has enough resources to handle a surge in new cases; and ensuring businesses and schools can implement social-distancing measures.
“There’s no light switch here,” Newsom said. “I would argue it’s more like a dimmer.”
