The surge in COVID-19 cases in Imperial County continues.

As of Wednesday morning there are now 1,445 active cases of the disease in the county. That's an increase of 94 over the Tuesday number. There has also been one more death attributed to the virus with that number now 356. So far there have been a total of 15,725 positive cases of COVID-19 in Imperial County. That is roughly 8 per cent of the population. 

Local health officials are warning against Thanksgiving gatherings as the virus continues to spread. Family social gatherings have been identified as one of the " super spreader " events that has pushed the number of positive cases in the state. Local hospitals are already strained due to the high incidence of COVID-19 and an additional jump after the holiday would make the situation far worse.