California's death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 50,000 on Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data.

The big picture: It's the first state to record more than 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

Details: Johns Hopkins' records showing 50,890 have died of the virus in California come a day after Los Angeles County health department announced it had confirmed over 20,000 deaths from COVID-19.

• The department noted in a statement that cases and deaths from the virus were decreasing.
• LA County health director Barbara Ferrer added, "This virus is still easily transmitted among people in contact with each other and we must do all we can to continue the momentum of the decreases we are seeing cases, hospitalizations and deaths.