By Jorge Casuso

April 9, 2020 -- There was one new coronavirus case reported in Santa Monica Thursday, as the number of incidents in both the city and Los Angeles County leveled off this week.

The new case brings the total for the week so far to 14, after last week saw the total drop to 27 cases, according to County Public Health Department data.

The other 41 Santa Monica cases were reported between March 17 and March 29, with 20 of the cases confirmed between Friday and Sunday a week ago.

The flattening curve of new cases reflects a trend that saw the number of cases dip from a high of 711 on Saturday to 425 on Thursday in the county of 10 million residents.

The number of deaths also could be peaking, with the 25 deaths reported on Thursday -- down from Wednesday's high of 29 -- bringing the total to 223.

The vast majority of deaths continue to be among the elderly and infirm, with 16 of the people who died being over the age of 65.

"Although our case numbers continue to rise along with the number of people who have died, the effectiveness of our collective effort to slow the spread are apparent," said County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

"These actions, although immensely disruptive as they are, are very powerful in helping to prevent infections, and we need to keep up this difficult work to slow the spread of COVID-19 for the next few weeks.

"It's a good idea to continue to plan for staying home as much as possible, including having food, medicine and other essential supplies delivered, and to check on the most vulnerable among us," Ferrer said.

To date, 1,894 of those who have tested positive -- or 24 percent -- have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.

The leveling off of confirmed cases comes as the the number of people tested rapidly rises -- from fewer than 29,000 on Friday to 38,400 on Thursday.

Of those tested, 15 percent have been positive.

The flattening curve comes as Santa Monica tightens its emergency measures.

On Thursday, the City Manager ordered customers and workers at Santa Monica businesses to wear face coverings or face fines ("Santa Monica Workers, Customers Must Wear Face Coverings or Face Fines," April 9, 2020).