California health authorities report record COVID-19 deaths

The Associated Press

5 years ago

FILE - In this Dec. 24, 2020, file photo, healthcare workers wait in line to receive the Pfizer ... — FILE – In this Dec. 24, 2020, file photo, healthcare workers wait in line to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

LOS ANGELES — California health authorities on Saturday reported a record high of 695 coronavirus deaths as many hospitals strained under unprecedented caseloads.

The state Department of Public Health said the number raises the state’s death toll since the start of the pandemic to 29,233.

A surge of cases following Halloween and Thanksgiving produced record hospitalizations in California, and now the most seriously ill of those patients are dying in unprecedented numbers.

Already, many hospitals in Los Angeles and other hard-hit areas are struggling to keep up and warned they may need to ration care as intensive care beds dwindle.