'Worst day' so far: LA County reports 7,593 new COVID-19 cases, shattering daily record

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County reported 7,593 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, a daily count that shatters previous records and may trigger even stricter restrictions on activities.

The new daily number breaks the previous record of 6,124 that was set only last week "and signals that the virus is infecting more people at a faster rate than ever seen in L.A. County before," the county said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.

The county's positivity rate has also shot up to 12%, up from 7% one week ago.

The county's hospitalization numbers are also surging, with 2,316 people now hospitalized for COVID-19, and about a quarter of those in the ICU.

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"If these trends continue, we're going to have to take much more dramatic, arguably drastic action," Newsom said, including "the potential for a stay-at-home order for those regions in purple."

"Today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, is the worst day thus far of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County," said county health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.

"However, it will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase. Every resident and every business needs to take immediate action if we are to dampen this alarming surge. We are in the middle of an accelerating surge in a pandemic of huge magnitude."

"This is not the time to skirt or debate the safety measures that protect us because we need every single person to use every tool available to stop the surge and save lives."

The new numbers come the same week the county imposed a new safer-at-home order putting limits on gatherings and capacity at businesses. The county has also shut down in-person dining at restaurants.