Coronavirus In Manhattan Beach Going Up In Meaningful Numbers

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Coronavirus continues to infect Manhattan Beach residents at a pace not previously seen in the city. Today's numbers push the city's cumulative number of residents testing positive since data began being collected in March to more than 700.

In just two days, the city has gone from 685 residents testing positive as of Sunday, Dec. 20 to 706 today [Tuesday, Dec. 22]. More than one month ago, on Friday, Nov. 7, Manhattan Beach had 437 positive tests for coronavirus. In not quite two months, Manhattan Bech residents' case count has increased from 437 to 706, a jump of 269 new positive tests for COVID-19.

Los Angeles County today is reporting 5,866 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 20% of these people in the ICU. "The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 today is again a new high. Today's daily hospitalization count has increased more than 2,700 daily patients from two weeks ago, when the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 3,113," according to a news release.

"The University of Southern California’s Center for Social and Economic Research continues to conduct a weekly representative survey with L.A. County residents about their actions through the pandemic. As cases continue to surge, nearly 80% of survey respondents indicated they visited a grocery store or pharmacy in the past week. Thirty percent of survey respondents indicated they visited a friend, neighbor or relative, and 30% of the respondents indicated they had visitors at their residence.

"If the survey is representative of L.A. County residents, more than 3,000,000 residents are not following the safety guidance that directs us to not gather with people outside our immediate household. Being in close physical distance with non-household members, especially when unmasked and not distanced, increases risk and contributes to easy spread of the virus. Many people infected with COVID-19, are asymptomatic and unknowingly spread the disease to others, including to those who have underlying health conditions with increased risk for serious illness and death," reported the news release from LA County.