Experiencing the same

surge as its neighbors, Culver

City recorded a sharp uptick

in the rate of coronavirus infection over

the past month,

the County Health Department

has announced.

As of press time Wednesday,

the number of local residents

with Covid-19rose

to470cases, representing a

17.5% increase in the past

4 weeks. Deaths related to

coronavirus totaled 28 in Culver

City. More than half of the

deaths occurred in nursing

homes and assisted living facilities.

County-wide, the total

infected now stands at

327,964with7,216deaths.

Ninety-three percent of people

who died had underlying

health conditions. On Wednesday,

Public Health Department

reported 2,152 cases of the

coronavirus and 22 deaths.

Currently, there are 903

confirmed cases currently

hospitalized and 28% of these

people are in the ICU in Los

Angeles, health officials said.

This number has been increased

dramatically this past

couple of weeks. A month ago,

in early-October, the daily

number of people hospitalized

with coronavirus was between

650 and 725 patients. In addition,

the test positivity rate has

risen from 3% in September to

5.6% this week.

"It is promising to hear the

news of Covid-19 vaccine

possibilities in the near future,"

said Barbara Ferrer, PhD,

MPH, MEd, Director of Public

Health. "However, we cannot

wait for a vaccine to slow the

spread in L.A. County. Every

person needs to make personal

decisions each day to use

the tools we know work. The

power to prevent more cases,

hospitalizations and deaths is

within all of us."

Ferrer is also urging residents

to get the flu shot. "Flu

immunizations are safe and

provide protection against the

harmful effects of influenza

and can also help keep people

out of the hospital freeing

up critical hospital resources,"

she said. "As we begin to see

increases in Covid-19 hospitalizations

and considering the

toll it has had on our communities

and our healthcare system,

now more than ever it is

important to be protected from

influenza."

The rate of infection in Culver

City stands at 1179 per

100,000 population. But it's

much lower than the 100K levels

at some neighboring cities,

including Beverly Hills at 2358,

Inglewood at 3021 and the

City of Los Angeles 3327.

Testing results are available

for more than 3.3 million individuals

with 9% of all people

testing positive.

For more information about

getting tested, visit covid19.

lacounty.gov/testing or call

the County's 2-1-1 information

line. Residents also can contact

their healthcare provider

if they need to be tested for

Covid-19.