Los Angeles, Dec 12 (IANS): Los Angeles County, the most populous in the US, has set a new record of single-day coronavirus cases for a second day in a row.

According to the latest data released by the county's Department of Public Health, the county reported 13,815 new cases on Friday and 50 additional deaths, reports Xinhua news agency.

The figures pushed the county's cumulative total since the beginning of the pandemic up to 501,635 cases, with 8,199 deaths.

Meanwhile, 3,624 people are currently hospitalized, the department said, rising from 3,433 24 hours ago.

"We are on a very dangerous track to seeing unprecedented suffering and death here in LA County. The impact of this Thanksgiving surge and the earlier rising cases is creating extraordinary stress on our healthcare system," the Department said in a tweet.

Across Southern California, including Los Angeles county and other 10 counties, local LAist.com news website reported on Friday that only 6.2 per cent of the region's intensive care unit (ICU) beds are currently available and for statewide it's about 9 per cent.

Los Angeles County's Supervisor Janice Hahn disclosed on her official twitter page that 82,875 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine could arrive in the county with a population of over 10 million as soon as Monday, and they would be provided to healthcare workers first.

"We're expected to receive about 250,000 more doses by the 21st, 150,000 the week after, and 250,000 a week starting in January.

"This is Phase 1A of our distribution plan. We hope to get enough doses to vaccinate all healthcare workers and long-term care residents by the end of January.

"After that, we can move to Phase 1B and start vaccinating essential workers," she said.