Los Angeles County Announces 20 New Deaths Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

1,633 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 20 new deaths and 1,633 new cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Fourteen people who died were over the age of 65 years old and one person who died was between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Fourteen people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 65 years old and one person between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Five deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health has identified 70,476 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 2,832 deaths. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,629 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health) 41% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 11% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 32 cases and one death reported earlier were not LA County residents. As of today, 7,250 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (11% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. There are 1,389 people who are currently hospitalized, 29% of these people are in the ICU and 20% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for over 761,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

Public Health continues to track disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data of people who have been tested, hospitalized and died from COVID-19. This data is analyzed as rates per 100,000 people to make comparisons with other groups across the County and to understand which groups are disproportionately affected. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders have a death rate of 52 per 100,000, African Americans have a death of 33 per 100,000, Latinos/Latinxs have a death of 32 per 100,000, Asians have a death rate of 23 per 100,000, and Whites have a death rate of 17 per 100,000. People who live in areas with high rates of poverty have almost four times the rate of deaths for COVID-19 with 51 per 100,000 people, compared with communities with very low poverty levels who had a death rate of 15 per 100,000.  Public Health and the Health Integration Alliance continues collaboration with community, healthcare, and philanthropic partners to increase access and use of COVID-19 testing, connection to care and services, awareness and support of contact tracing activities, and direct linkages to in-language, culturally responsive supportive resources, like food, housing, and other benefits to communities experiencing these inequitable outcomes.

“We are mourning with the many families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.  We are thinking of you and praying for you every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to watch the indicators on our recovery dashboard to understand how COVID-19 is affecting our communities and our capacity to treat people who may become seriously ill.  Our day-to-day actions have a huge impact on our progress and our recovery journey, so please continue to practice physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings when you are out and around others.  As more businesses reopen, these continue to be the tools we have for slowing the spread of the virus and preventing serious illness and deaths.”

A modified Health Officer Order and directives for the reopening of additional businesses was issued yesterday with an effective date of today, June 12.  The Health Officer Order allows for the following sectors to reopen once they implement the required protocols for infection control and distancing:

• Gyms and fitness facilities
• Pro-league arenas without live audiences
• Day camps
• Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums
• Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation
• Music, film and television production
• Hotels for leisure travel

As with all businesses that are permitted to reopen, the Health Officer Order contains protocols for reopening to ensure it is done as safely as possible for employees, customers and residents. Employees and visitors to these businesses will need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. The directives are contained in sector-specific protocols that guide re-opening and are available online. It is important for everyone to follow the directives and to do their part every day to keep everyone as safe as possible.

If anyone has been in a crowded setting, where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for greater than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:

• Remain in your residence, away from others, in quarantine for 14 days.
• If you live with persons who are elderly or have high risk conditions, you should also maintain a six-foot distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home, avoid preparing food for others, sharing utensils, bedding and towels, and increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces.
• Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive. Testing negative for COVID-19 right after being exposed does not mean you can’t become infected later during the incubation period.
• If anyone was possibly exposed to someone with COVID-19, and the test result is negative, they should remain at home for 14 days to prevent spreading illness to others.

For more information on how to get tested, visit: covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. The Health Officer Order, 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.

The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

Please see additional information below: