Los Angeles, Feb 23 (IANS): Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, is experiencing a sharp decline in new Covid-19 cases as vaccination rollout continues, local health authorities said.

The county's Department of Public Health reported 943 new cases of Covid-19 and 21 related deaths in Monday's daily release, pushing its cumulative cases up to 1,181,403 and the death toll to 19,904, Xinhua news agency reported.

There are 2,213 Covid-19 patients currently hospitalized in the county, 31 per cent of whom are in intensive care, according to the department.

The county has become the first place in the United States to surpass one million total cases since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-January last year.

The seven-day average number of daily cases in Los Angeles County, home to over 10 million residents, peaked to more than 15,000 cases on January 8 and has now dropped by 90 per cent to 1,600 a day, said the department, noting that the significant drop in case number reflects actions and choices taken by millions of residents, workers and employers.

Public health officials said that nearly 1,771,000 doses of vaccine have been administered across the county. Of those vaccinated, 513,586 people have received the second doses.

"Half a million people have passed away across our nation, and here in LA County, we are approaching the terrible milestone of 20,000 deaths," said the county's Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer in the release.

"Should we continue to see fewer cases, we can move forward in our recovery, as lower case rates allow for other sector reopenings," she added.