August 22 coronavirus news

Covid-19 hospitalization rates in Los Angeles County are the lowest since April, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a press conference Friday.

A total of 420 coronavirus patients are in intensive care units throughout the county -- a “substantial decrease since last month,” Garcetti said.

Los Angeles County is working to reduce the number of cases to 100 for every 100,000 residents for 14 consecutive days to get off the state’s watch list, Garcetti said.

The county currently has about 250 to 300 cases per 100,000 residents.

Elementary schools can apply for waivers for in-person learning if cases fall below 200 for every 100,000 residents, the mayor added. 

“Let’s keep those numbers in mind. Let’s push towards those goals for our children, for our economy, for our wellbeing, and for our health,” Garcetti said.

Despite the decrease in hospitalizations, the Covid-19 threat level in Los Angeles remains at orange because the rate of transmission is 0.92, Garcetti said. This means there is still a high risk of transmission and residents are urged to minimize contact. 

On Friday, Brazil’s health ministry reported 30,355 new Covid-19 cases over the previous 24 hours -- taking the country's total to 3,532,330.

The ministry also reported 1,054 new Covid-19 deaths, raising the country’s death toll to 113,358.

Some context: Brazil is second only to the United States in total number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

Mexico recorded 5,928 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, taking the total number of infections in the country to 549,734.  

The Mexico health ministry also reported 504 new coronavirus-related deaths -- taking its total death toll to 59,610. 

Some context: Mexico has the third-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, behind only the US and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

In terms of coronavirus cases, Mexico is ranked third in Latin America, behind Brazil and Peru, according to JHU.

The number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa surged past 600,000 Friday, according to the country's Department of Health.

South Africa recorded 3,398 new cases to take its total to 603,338. Its coronavirus death toll stands at 12,843.

A 6-year-old girl from Hillsborough County became the youngest person to die from coronavirus complications in Florida, health officials said.

The girl is among the 119 deaths reported by the state on Friday, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. It's unclear whether she contracted the virus after being in contact with a known case or if her infection was travel related.

The health department did not provide further details. CNN has reached out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for comment.

Some context: Eight minors in Florida have died from Covid-19, according to the latest health records.

The previous youngest victim of Covid-19 was 9-year-old Kimora "Kimmie" Lynum. The girl, who had no known underlying health conditions, died July 18 in Putnam County.

Florida has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the US. The state has reported 593,286 cases since the pandemic began, according to a tally of cases from Johns Hopkins University.