Los Angeles County Announces 18 New Deaths Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

2,571 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 18 new deaths and 2,571 new cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Thirteen people who died were over the age of 65 years old and four people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old. Seventeen people had underlying health conditions including nine people over the age of 65 years old and four people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. One death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

To date, Public Health has identified 85,942 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 3,137 deaths. Ninety-four percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,918 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 42% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 17% 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, 26 cases and one death reported earlier were not LA County residents. There are 1,453 people who are currently hospitalized, 28% of these people are in the ICU and 19% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for over 960,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

“We are thinking of all of the families that are experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Today marks the third day in a week that we have reported 2,000 or more cases of COVID-19. And while some of the increases are due to test reporting issues, it is clear that much of the increase represents more community transmission. Continuing to slow the spread of COVID-19 will not be possible without a renewed commitment by all of us to take care of each other by wearing cloth face coverings, keeping our distance, and avoiding crowds.”

Public Health continues tracking the number of positive cases and deaths among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. A total of 7,095 healthcare workers and first responders have confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. This is an additional 534 new cases since reported last week. Nurses continue to account for the majority of positive cases (43%), though cases have been identified among a range of occupational roles, including caregivers, people who work in administration, medical assistants, and people who work in environmental services and food services. The source of exposure is known for 50% of the healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19; 78% of healthcare workers with known exposure were exposed in a healthcare facility. Public Health has confirmed 52 healthcare workers have passed away from COVID-19, 8 additional people since our report last week; 39 people who died worked in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, six people worked in hospitals, three people worked in home health, 1 person worked in a correctional facility, 1 person worked in a laboratory, and one person who died worked in an outpatient facility. For one health care worker who passed away, their workplace setting has not been specified. Twenty-four of the health care workers who died identified as Asian, 20 of the people who died were Latino/Latinx, three people who died were African American/Black, four people who died were White, and for one person who died, their race and ethnicity was not specified.

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.

Because this virus is still easily transmitted among people in contact with each other, 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. It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until they receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious. 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.

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