Los Angeles first major US city to offer free COVID-19 testing: Mayor Garcetti

Los Angeles has become the first major city in the United States to provide free COVID-19 testing regardless of symptoms, said LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. Speaking at a press conference, Garcetti said that Los Angeles will be the first major US city to offer large, widescale testing to all its residents, with or without symptoms, but added that people with symptoms will be given priority.

According to the website meant for COVID-19 testing appointments, priority for the same or next day testing will be given to people with symptoms, such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Certain critical front-line workers who interact with the public while working will also be on the priority list of testing.

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The Los Angeles County reported 1,541 new coronavirus cases on April 29, bringing the total to 22,485. The 7 per cent surge in single-day jump also includes a backlog of cases that were processed. In the city, 683 new cases were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total to 10,380 - again a 7 per cent increase.

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Continued global surge

According to the latest report, over 3.2 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 228,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Italy, Spain and France are the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic with around 62 per cent of death toll reported from these four countries alone. 

The numbers get more sombre for the US as it has reported over a million cases, one-third of the worldwide cases, and more than 61,000 deaths due to the infectious disease. Within the United States, New York has reported almost one-third of the nationwide coronavirus cases and almost one-tenth of the worldwide cases.

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(Image credit: AP)