More than 6,000 coronavirus cases new California daily record

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Drive-through COVID-19 testing in Boyle Heights. Experts say widespread testing is crucial for states to be able to safely reopen their economies. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Testing in Boyle Heights. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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A testing sample is sealed. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Putting on personal protective equipment before testing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Testing in Boyle Heights. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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A patient is screened before testing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Information is collected from a patient. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Boyle Heights COVID-19 testing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Juan Infante, a certified medical assistant, takes the temperature of a patient before she gets tested. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Carson City Mayor Albert Robles does self-testing at a new drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of a community center in Carson. Free COVID-19 testing is available to all city residents. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Carson residents Kaeli Burks, 3, left, and her cousin Bailey Watson, 5, look out the window of their car after their mothers helped them with self-testing at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 in Carson. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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A Carson resident passes a sealed self-test to a health official at a drive-up testing site. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Carson resident Melvin Smith, 64, does self-testing. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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A person drops a specimen at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in Bell. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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A person swabs their mouth at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in Bell. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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A man talks with a healthcare worker outside Kedren Community Health Center in South LA, where they are offering walk-up coronavirus testing along with other medical services. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

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A specimen is turned in at the new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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A portrait and quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. overlooks a new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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Julie Montez, right, sits in her car as a nurse administers a coronavirus test at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Nurses pose for a fun photo between breaks at a drive-through public testing for coronavirus at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Healthcare workers tend to a driver in line at a drive-through Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing site at the Westminster Mall in Westminster. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Healthcare workers tend to a driver in line at a drive-through Coronavirus testing site at the Westminster Mall in Westminster. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Gessie Lurlay is working as a coronavirus screener at the Camarena Health Center in Madera. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

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Francis Gon-Gibbs, of LA County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, stands at the entrance of a new mobile testing site for people with symptoms of the coronavirus at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in South Los Angeles. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

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A man drops off his self-administered COVID-19 test in a blue bin at a drive-up test site at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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Workers direct drivers at a drive-up test site for COVID-19 at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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A man misses the blue bin while dropping off his self-administered COVID-19 test at a drive-up test site at the Veterans Administration Parking Lot 15 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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Workers help conduct drive-thru coronavirus testing at Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

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A sign directs people to drive-thru coronavirus testing at Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

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Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, “We’re All In This Together,” while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location, at the South Bay Galleria, in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

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A woman shows her notice from her doctor that allows her to obtain a test for COVID-19 at a new drive-up testing site in a parking lot at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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Coronavirus CO drive-thru sample collection takes place at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan/Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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San Bernardino County health care worker takes a sample at a coronavirus drive-thru sample collection that took place at the county fairgrounds in Victorville. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Motorists, line up on Stadium Way, near Dodger Stadium, waiting to enter a parking lot and be tested for the coronavirus. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the Los Angeles Fire Dept. wear protective gear while handing out kits to people to swab the inside of their mouths to test for the coronavirus, inside a parking lot on Stadium Way, near Dodger Stadium. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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Riverside County medical personnel screen a car of load of four people at a coronavirus drive-though testing facility for Coachella Valley residents in the parking lot of the Southwest in Indian Wells. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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Aerial views cars lined up for drive-through coronavirus testing inside a parking lot on Stadium Way near Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

By Colleen ShalbyStaff Writer

June 23, 2020 Updated 2:42 PM PT

California shattered a daily record for new coronavirus cases with more than 6,000 infections reported Monday — the largest single-day count in the state since the pandemic hit the U.S.

In Los Angeles County, officials on Tuesday reported more than 2,000 new cases for the fourth time in the last week, bringing the total number of infections to more than 88,200. Officials also reported 34 additional deaths, increasing the death toll to 3,171 — the bulk of the state’s total.

In San Diego County, officials reported more than 300 new cases for the second day in a row after breaking a record with more than 310 cases Sunday.

The case count is only one metric in tracking the spread of the virus, and, while increased testing capacity may account for part of the increase, officials have said the surge cannot be pegged to testing alone.

Officials have repeatedly warned that they expect transmission rates to increase as more businesses reopen and people resume normal activities after months-long stay-at-home orders.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has said that while it is impossible to track the origin of spread in a public setting, it is “highly likely” that the overall increase is related to mass protests that erupted over the death of George Floyd as well as clusters of social gatherings at restaurants and private parties.

In Riverside County, which has the second-highest number of cases in the state, public health officials have reported 4,001 new cases in 14 days. Although the metric fails to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s standard for reopening, the county voted last month to approve a “Readiness and Reopening Framework” that outlines alternative benchmarks toward reopening.

Officials announced Monday that they will randomly select about 3,500 Riverside County residents for an antibody study to determine whether they’ve been exposed to the virus. The study will help the county’s planning efforts for reopening.

“We are asking those who are contacted to strongly consider taking part in the study,” said Kim Saruwatari, the county’s public health director. “It’s important to know the extent of the spread of the virus [and how many] have developed antibodies. That information is vital as we move forward.

Across the state, the positivity rate among those tested for coronavirus increased from 4.5% to 4.8% in the last week, and the number of hospitalizations jumped by 16%.

In L.A. County, the daily positivity rate over a seven-day average jumped to 8.8%. Officials reported Tuesday there are 1,515 people hospitalized, 27% in intensive care. While that number is a far cry from the highs of 1,900 patients in past months, it is higher than the daily hospitalization counts of 1,350 to 1,450 in the past few weeks.

Despite the uptick in cases, more cities and counties are continuing to expand their reopening plans.

In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed and Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax announced this week that the city would move up its next phase of reopening from mid-July to June 29. Hair and nail salons, barbershops, museums, zoos, tattoo parlors, massage establishments and outdoor bars will be able to reopen, provided they follow safety protocols.

“Thanks to San Franciscans’ efforts to follow health requirements, wear face coverings and practice social distancing, our COVID-19 health indicators are in a good place, and we can continue reopening our city,” Breed said. “We know a lot of businesses and residents are struggling financially, and this next step will help get more San Franciscans back to work while still balancing safety.”

Newsom said state health officials are keeping a close eye on the numbers, adding that he felt confident the state would be able to respond to the virus in the weeks and months ahead.

“We’ve always walked into this with our eyes wide open. We’ve always prepared for a surge,” the governor said. “We’re in that band, where I feel like we anticipated the likelihood as we’ve reopened, of the numbers increasing, and they have.”

However, he said it’s possible for the state to reverse course if case counts continue to climb.

“We are prepared to do that, if we must,” he said.

Newsom repeated a plea for people to wear face coverings, which is now a statewide mandate, and to report businesses and restaurants that are not following safety protocols.

“When you go to a restaurant and it’s clear that they’re not practicing what we are preaching, report them. Give us the tools to enforce,” he said.

Last week, L.A. County officials said that roughly 1,000 restaurants were found to be violating regulations for reopening, with tables placed too closely together.

The state is currently monitoring 10 counties — Fresno, Imperial, Kings, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus and Tulare — for surges in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

In L.A. County, Director of Health Services Dr. Christina Ghaly said Monday that, while the county currently has enough available hospital beds, the number of intensive care units may become limited in coming weeks if COVID-19 patients have to compete for space with other patients. Officials are closely monitoring those numbers.

Additionally, officials estimate that about 1 in 400 Angelenos may be sick without knowing it as so-called asymptomatic spread remains a risk.

“Angelenos over the course of a typical day are likely going to interact with individuals who are infectious,” Ghaly said. “These people might not seem sick.”

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.