‘Over 8,000 people are not coming back’: LA County health director gives emotional coronavirus briefing

Average daily deaths in the county increased 258 per cent since 9 November

Los Angeles County’s health director struggled through an emotional coronavirus briefing as she gave a solemn update on the surge of infections and deaths in the area.

Doctor Barbara Ferrer has appeared weekly in briefings to the county’s 10 million residents, providing updates on the area’s infections, hospitalisations, and fatalities.

While explaining a graph demonstrating the "devastating” trajectory of the daily number of deaths from the virus on Wednesday, Dr Ferrer’s voice broke as she became visibly unnerved.

“While this trend line provides a frightening visual of our reality, the more terrible truth is that over 8,000 people …,” she said, pausing to compose herself before continuing.

“Sorry. Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back.”

Average daily deaths in the county have increased 258 per cent since 9 November from 12 average deaths per day to 43 in the past week, the public health director explained.

Dr Ferrer went on to call the deaths in the county “an incalculable loss to their friends and their family as well as our community.”

The county has amassed 475,271 cases of the disease in total since the pandemic began, according to the county of Los Angeles Public Health.

“As cases have continued to increase the past few weeks we will bear witness to a significant rise in the number of people who are dying,” Dr Ferrer said.

The area, which is the most populous county in the United States, is currently under a strict stay-at-home order, including banning most gatherings, to help curb the spread of the disease.

Nationwide, the US has reported more than 3,000 deaths from coronavirus in one day for the first time since the pandemic began, marking the highest single-day death toll for the country.

The bleak numbers come as the country sits on the cusp of authorising the emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine against the disease.  

However, experts have warned that the start of coronavirus vaccine distribution won’t stop the current surge in deaths, with fears the Christmas season could worsen the spread.

“It's likely you're not going to see a measurable diminution for at least several weeks or if not longer,' Dr Fauci told CNN’s John Berman on Monday.

“But it will come, I guarantee you,” he added.

Across the country, more than 15.5 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the pandemic gripped the country in March, leading to the deaths of over 290,000 people.