
Los Angeles has become the first US county to report more than 1 million coronavirus cases, according to state officials.
Some 14,669 new cases were added Saturday taking the county's total to 1,003,923 cases and 13,741 confirmed virus-related deaths -- 253 reported on Saturday, Los Angeles County's Department of Public Health said in a news release.
The department also announced its first confirmed case of the UK Covid-19 B.1.1.7 variant Saturday, in a male who had traveled to L.A. County but is now isolating in Oregon.
The health department said it believed the more contagious UK variant was likely already spreading in the community and urged residents to "more diligently" follow safety measures.
"The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County is troubling, as our healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized," said health department director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.
"Our community is bearing the brunt of the winter surge, experiencing huge numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five-times what we experienced over the summer."