Los Angeles County, once a hot spot in the COVID-19 pandemic, reported zero new coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday and 313 new cases. County health officials said it's likely the actual numbers were higher due to weekend reporting delays, but by all available metrics Los Angeles and California overall are successfully containing the coronavirus.
Public health experts attribute L.A.'s declining numbers in part to the low rate of vaccine hesitancy in California, the Los Angeles Times reports; 46.8 percent of L.A. County's 10 million residents are at least partially vaccinated and 31.5 percent are fully vaccinated. Since the pandemic began, the county has recorded more than 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and 23,915 deaths, according to a tally by the Times.
On Saturday, L.A. County health officials said infections are now at the lowest levels since the pandemic began, and if the daily rate remains below 2 new cases per 100,000 residents this week, most Los Angeles businesses will be able to reopen indoor operations under California's lowest restrictions tier.