Los Angeles County Announces 42 New Deaths Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

472 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 15, 2020) – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 42 new deaths and 472 new cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is the largest increase in new deaths surpassing yesterday’s count. Over the last 48 hours, there have been 1,142 new cases. Twenty-four people who died were over the age of 65; 11 people who died were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 to 40 years old.  Twenty-one people had underlying health conditions. Eleven people over the age of 65 and four people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old had no reported underlying health conditions. Three deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and three deaths by the City of Pasadena.

To date, Public Health has identified 10,496 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 402 deaths.  Eighty-four percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 330 people (88 percent of the cases); 34% of deaths occurred among Latinx residents, 31% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 15% among African American residents, and 2% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 23 cases reported earlier were not LA County residents. As of today, 2,704 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (26% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for almost 67,500 individuals and 11% of people testing positive.

The best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing (especially by staying at home) and wear a clean face covering when out in the public procuring or providing essential services. N95 and surgical masks should only be used by healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers providing care for people who are ill.

“One of the tragic realities of this pandemic is the daily report of lives lost to COVID-19. The frequency of these reports does not diminish our sympathy or our resolve to restore wellness to our community,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 has asked everyone to do their part. The sacrifices made cannot be counted: some have lost loved ones, some have been ill, some have lost jobs, some have had to temporarily close businesses, some are guiding children through remote learning, and everyone has had to live our day-to-day life very differently than we are used to. Thank you for continuing to do what you’re doing – staying home, practicing physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings, and self-isolating and self-quarantining when necessary. Engaging in these practices is making a difference, and we WILL get to the other side of this together.”

The current Health Officer Order extends the previous Health Officer Order through May 15 and requires essential businesses to provide a cloth face covering for all employees to wear while performing duties that involve contact with other employees and or the public and to post physical distancing plans. The public is required to wear a face covering to enter essential businesses as well.  Beaches, trails and trailheads and non-essential businesses remain closed, and all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit remain prohibited. Slowing the spread of COVID-19 requires that the public adhere to all the directives that limit interactions with those outside their households.

Public Health reminds everyone that if you are ill, even with mild symptoms, please self- isolate at home for 7 days and until you are fever and symptom free for 72 hours. If you have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is presumed to be infected with COVID-19, you must quarantine for 14 days from your last contact with that individual. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or are pregnant may be at higher risk of serious illness and should contact their doctor as soon as they are sick.

Please see the locations where cases have occurred: