As Long Beach and Los Angeles County face an uptick in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, officials are urging people to follow health guidelines and wear their masks, warning that the county is at a “critical juncture” in the coronavirus pandemic.

In Long Beach, a total of 81 people are currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. This week alone, the city has had 539 new confirmed cases, which is likely an undercount because of a lag in case entries from the holiday weekend, city officials said.

A total of 140 people have died of the disease in Long Beach, up from 134 late last week.

The county Department of Public Health announced 65 new coronavirus deaths. The new deaths brought the countywide total to 3,643.

Public health director Barbara Ferrer said that despite the relatively high number of deaths reported Wednesday, the rolling seven-day average of daily fatalities has been trending downward in recent weeks. But she warned that the county’s rising numbers of cases and hospitalizations could lead to a corresponding spike in deaths.

“We are … at a very critical juncture in our pandemic,” Ferrer said “We’re entering a phase where we’re seeing community spread and hospitalizations like we saw in late April and what we hoped would be the height of infection here in L.A. County. But … our cases are rising, the rate of infection is increasing and the number of hospitalizations are up.

“And today we’re even seeing a small increase in the number of deaths, although this is a data point that usually lags behind all others.Tragically we do expect that more of our loved ones and our neighbors may die of COVID-19 in the coming weeks with all of the increases we’re seeing in hospitalizations.”

Ferrer noted that 93% of people who have died from the virus had underlying health conditions.

That figure has remained consistent throughout the pandemic. But she noted that the 7% of people who died and had no underlying health problems should serve as a warning.

“When the numbers get as big as they are today, that 7% represents dozens and dozens of people who may have thought that they were at no risk for having serious illness and even dying from COVID-19, but unfortunately this virus can affect many, many different people.”

The county announced 2,496 new confirmed cases of the virus Wednesday. The new cases pushed the overall countywide total to 123,256. Ferrer noted that in June, the county was averaging about 1,300 new cases per day, but that average has risen to about 2,400, a sign of a “sharp increase in community transmission” of the virus.

Ferrer also reported that as of Wednesday, 2,004 people coronavirus patients were hospitalized in the county—with that figure excluding Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments.

The number of people hospitalized has been on a steady climb over the past month, and is now at one of its highest points of the pandemic. The increases last week prompted county officials to warn that local hospitals could become overwhelmed in a matter of two to three weeks.

But the county’s health services director, Dr. Christina Ghaly, said Wednesday that while the number of patients is still rising, there has been a recent “leveling off”of daily admissions that has reduced that threat. But she warned the “numbers are still at an all-time high.”

The seven-day average rate of people being tested who wind up being positive for the virus was 10.4% as of Wednesday—a slight drop from Tuesday’s figure of 11.6%, but above the 8.4% rate of one week ago.

Ghaly noted that all appointments for coronavirus tests in the county are fully booked for the rest of the week. She said the full bookings are the result of two factors—the holiday weekend reduction in available appointments, which led to people scheduling tests later in the week; and an overall large increase in demand of people wanting to be tested.

She said the county is working to add more appointment times at existing test locations, and new sites will be opened over the next two to three weeks, particularly in areas with vulnerable populations.

If there was any good news provided by health officials, it was regarding the levels of compliance with health orders shows by restaurants over the holiday weekend. Ferrer said inspectors visited about 1,100 restaurants over the weekend, and the vast majority were in compliance with the latest health orders — requiring only outdoor dining and mandating face coverings and physical distancing. In past weeks, inspectors found large numbers of violations at restaurants and bars.

In a live chat with the Post on Wednesday, Mayor Robert Garcia said the city conducted a week-long enforcement canvass of about 600 businesses, with about 90% in compliance with health orders.

The more serious problem, he said, is residents not following health orders that require face coverings in public.

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Reporter Valerie Osier contributed to this report.