Culver City Observer -

The Covid-19 surge is continuing to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County, including Culver City. Public Health Department has again reported record numbers for new Coronavirus-related deaths and hospitalizations in the county since the pandemic began.

On Wednesday, the county reported 145 new deaths, the highest total recorded in the past 10 months, and 16,525 new coronavirus cases. In addition, Public Health has confirmed that 6,155 people with Covid-19 are currently hospitalized and 20% of them are in the ICU.

As of press time, Covid-19 cases in Culver City shot up to 1079, a 100% increase over the past month. Coronavirus-related deaths also climbed to 38 locally. According to the County Health Department, 67 cases of Covid-19 and 14 deaths were reported at Marina Pointe Healthcare and Subacute, 33 cases and 6 deaths at Studio Royale Retirement Home and 5 cases and 1 death at Anchor Retirement Homes.

County-wide, the total infected with coronavirus stands at 663,954 with 9153 deaths.

"Tragically, we are on our way to witnessing 10,000 deaths from Covid-19 and our hospitals overwhelmed with patients," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "Every day, more than 14,000 additional people become intimately aware of the easy spread of this virus because they test positive for Covid-19."

Ferrer urges residents to delay travel plans and celebrate the holidays only with members of their immediate households to curb the surge that is overwhelming the hospital system.

"We can find comfort in making these sacrifices because we know that by staying home, we are giving others the ultimate holiday gift: we may be saving their lives," she said. "We are in the middle of a horrific surge and we all need to take the hard steps, the wise steps, to reduce transmissions and exposure now, during the holidays, and as we begin 2021."

The County's daily test positivity rate has also shot up dramatically, health officials reported. Over the past month, the test positivity rate has increased 3-fold, from around 3.5% to just over 14% yesterday.

The rate of infection in Culver City stands at 2707 per 100,000 population. But it's still lower than the levels at some neighboring cities, including Beverly Hills at 4171, Inglewood at 6111 and the City of Los Angeles 6627.