Contact Tracing Ramps up as COVID-19 Cases Increase

51 New Deaths and 2,667 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues ramping up contact tracing efforts as cases of COVID-19 increase. Public Health has confirmed 51 new deaths and 2,667 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health has identified 127,358 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 3,738 deaths.

Currently, there are more than 1,500 contact tracers at Public Health who interview people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are residents of Los Angeles County. Prior to the pandemic, Public Health had approximately 200 staff who did contact tracing as part of their regular duties, with a focus on tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases and other acute communicable and vaccine preventable diseases such as measles.  With support from other County Departments, the State, and the City of Los Angeles, Public Health has trained hundreds of additional contact tracers.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,269,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.  The daily positivity rate (a composite of a 7-day rolling average) is higher at 10%.  There are 1,995 people currently hospitalized, 26% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 17% are confirmed cases on ventilators. This remains substantially higher than the 1,350 to 1,450 daily hospitalizations seen four weeks ago.

If a person has a positive test for COVID-19, expect a public health specialist from L.A. County Public Health to contact you by phone to interview you about possible exposures and to identify others who may have also been exposed to the infection. They will leave a call back number if necessary. If they cannot reach the patient by phone, they will send a letter. Please answer Public Health’s calls and call them back if they leave a message. The information is protected and cannot be shared with others except in emergency situations. Please also note a public health specialist will never ask for a social security number, payment or documented status.

Public Health has a hotline for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call the COVID-19 Case Info Line toll-free at 1-833-540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

“For the families suffering a loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we send you our thoughts and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we continue to see increases in new cases and hospitalizations, it is important to remember that if you think you could be positive and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if you are positive for COVID-19. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If you are positive, know that you will receive a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect yourself and others, and so they can find out where you may have been, and who you were in close contact with while infectious.”

Of the 51 people that passed away, 32 people were over the age of 65 years old, 14 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old and three people who died were between 18 and 40 years old.  Forty  people had underlying health conditions including 28 people over the age of 65 years old, nine people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and three people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.  Seven people who passed away were residents at skilled nursing facilities.

Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,482  people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 46% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 16% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 47 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Business owners and residents must take immediate action in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. Stay home if you are elderly or have serious underlying health conditions. Everyone else should stay home as much as possible, and limit activities outside of your home to what is essential – work, getting groceries and medicine, and medical visits. Always wear a face covering and keep physical distance when you are outside your home. And wash your hands frequently. The actions of L.A. County residents to slow the spread are urgently needed.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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