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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals is down to 361, slightly lower than last week, according to the latest state figures released today.
Of those patients, 41 were being treated in intensive care, down from 46 a week ago. Meanwhile, Orange County's total was down to 101, the lowest it's been since last October. The statewide total of COVID-positive patients was 1,553, continuing its general decline from over 4,600 at the end of last year.
Some of the hospitalized patients were admitted for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on March 29 that it was ending daily COVID-19 data reporting and would move to weekly reports, which will be issued on Thursdays beginning this week. In its most recent report last week, the department reported 1,269 new COVID-19 cases and 24 additional virus-related deaths over a four-day period, although those figures reflect an undercount due to a lag in weekend reporting.
The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 3.4%. Health officials say a majority of people who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have an underlying health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension. L.A. County's local emergency declarations due to COVID-19 were lifted as of March 31, but officials continue to urge people to take common-sense precautions against contracting the virus.