Los Angeles, Dec 17 (IANS): Los Angeles County, the most populous in the US, has set a new record for the number of single-day coronavirus cases and deaths.

On Wednesday, the county, with over 10 million residents reported 21,411 new cases, surpassing the former record of 13,050 on December 8, reports Xinhua news agency.

It also reported 131 new deaths on Wednesday, which is the highest daily number of fatalities reported by the county since the onset of the pandemic.

With the two new tallies, the county's overall caseload and death toll stands at 566,005 and 8,568, respectively, according to the LA Public Health.

Los Angeles County's Director of Health Services Christina Gahly said at an online briefing conference that a total of 4,656 people were hospitalised currently, with an increase of about 200 since Tuesday and warned that this figure would be even worse next week.

She said county hospitals are seeing 600 new infected patients every day and that number, "could be between 700 and 1,350 by the end of December".

She urged local residents to follow health guidelines to contain the pandemic, including wearing face mask and avoiding gatherings.

"I want to be clear: our hospitals are under siege and there is no end in sight," said Gahly,

"Unless we remain more vigilant and more diligent through the holidays and beyond, we will not be able to stop the surge."