COVID-19 on Track to Become the Second Leading Cause of Death in L.A. County

64 New Deaths and 3,266 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reports COVID-19 has killed more than 3,400 people in the first six months of this year, making it on track to be the second leading cause of death in L.A. County.

From January to June of last year, coronary heart disease was the top cause of death, with nearly 6,000 deaths attributed to it.  It appears that COVID-19, with over 3,400 deaths during the same time period, is on track to claim more lives in Los Angeles County than any disease except coronary heart disease —killing more people than Alzheimer’s Disease, other kinds of heart disease, stroke and COPD.

For additional comparison, influenza killed 1,521 people during the 2019 flu season from October to May.

Today, Public Health has confirmed 64 new deaths and 3,266 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health has identified 164,870 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,213 deaths.

New cases continue to be driven by people under the age of 41 years old with 57% of the new cases reported by Public Health today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena).  On June 22, the seven-day average of new cases was 1,763, now the county is averaging 2,952 new cases a day – almost twice as many cases reported just a month ago. This is higher than at any point this entire pandemic.

There are 2,207 confirmed cases currently hospitalized, 27% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU and 19% are confirmed cases on ventilators. This is the fourth consecutive day of over 2,200 hospitalizations.

“Every family that loses a loved one to COVID-19 is left with a void in their lives that they will never be able to fill.  We think of you and our hearts go out to you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The flu is a dangerous virus in its own right, but it is nowhere near as deadly as COVID-19. COVID-19 is on track to become the second leading cause of death in L.A. County and we need to take its strength and power seriously. A lax attitude to this virus can be deadly for someone you love. You could be infected, not know it, and pass the infection to someone you love who may not be as lucky as you.  Please be caring of those around you — wear a face covering, maintain physical distancing and practice hand hygiene. It can save lives.”

Testing results are available for nearly 1,579,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

Of the 64 new deaths, 45 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 65 years old and 18 people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years. Fifty-six people had underlying health conditions including 40 people over the age of 65 years old and 16 people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

Ninety-two percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,927 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 47% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 26% among White residents, 15% 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, 69 cases and five deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Data continues to expose disproportionality in health outcomes by race, ethnicity and income level data. African American/Black and Latino/Latinx residents are still twice as likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to White residents. Communities with high levels of poverty are still four times as likely to die of COVID-19 compared to residents with the highest income.

Because this virus is easily transmitted among people in contact with each other, business owners and residents must do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. Current Health Officer Orders require business owners to close indoor operations at many businesses and take immediate action to implement strategies that protect workers and customers.  Public Health urges everyone to avoid the Three C’s: Crowded places, Confined spaces and Close contact with others not in your household. Everyone should always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out in public. Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home.

It is 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 24 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If a person has a positive lab result for COVID-19, expect a public health specialist from LA County Public Health to contact them by phone to interview about possible exposures and to identify others who may have also been exposed to the infection. The information is protected and cannot be shared with others except in emergency situations. A public health specialist will never ask for a social security number, payment or documented status.

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

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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