Public Health Underscores Compliance, Containment and Collaboration to Move L.A. County Forward

17 New Deaths and 2,039 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

To underscore the ongoing need to protect the long-term health and well-being of residents and the workforce as we move forward in the recovery journey, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) introduces and underscores a new set of three Cs:  Compliance, Containment, and Collaboration.

Compliance: Businesses must comply with Health Officer Orders and implement the strict infection control practices and distancing guidelines in place to protect the workforce and the public. Residents must continue to wear face coverings, maintain physical distancing, avoid gathering with people they don’t live with and continue washing their hands and cleaning high- touch surfaces.

Containment: Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain spread. The Department of Health Services has announced testing capacity has expanded to over 65% to serve communities hardest hit by COVID-19 that experience racial and economic disparities. Case interviews and contact tracing of people who are positive or exposed are isolating and quarantining must continue. Businesses and employers must also do their part and alert the department to outbreaks at their work sites.

Collaboration: Collaborating across all sectors and government is imperative to ensure clear messages to the public, uninterrupted supply chains for testing supplies and personal protective equipment, and unity in strategies for re-opening with as much safety as possible.

Today, Public Health has confirmed 17 new deaths and 2,039 new cases of COVID-19.  Public Health anticipates receiving a backlog of cases in the coming days.

Since May, the majority of cases have occurred among people between the ages of 18 and 49 years old.  People between the ages of 30 and 49 year old account for the largest proportion of cases and roughly the same proportion of cases as seen since May. Other age groups are flat or decreasing slightly.

Public Health is reporting 2,017 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. There are a total of 2,552 confirmed and suspect cases that are currently hospitalized and 18% of these people are on ventilators.  The hospitalization data is incomplete due to data from five non-reporting hospitals not being part of today’s update.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,649,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“To the many families who are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we are so sorry for your loss. We also send our deepest sympathies to Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia who recently lost his mother to this virus,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It has been 145 days since the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared in Los Angeles County. These past 145 days have given us time to learn a lot more about COVID-19–how to coexist with it as we await development of treatments and vaccines, and how to slow the spread to give our health system a fighting chance of treating those who fall seriously ill.  We must drive compliance, containment, and collaboration efforts that will move with us into the long-term recovery that we all want to see happen as soon as possible.  There is mounting evidence that these strategies work. The task in front of us is to be able to thread the needle so that we continue with our recovery journey while protecting the health and well-being of our residents, our workforce and our community. We have to do both.”

Public Health continues tracking the number of positive cases and deaths among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. A total of 11,481 healthcare workers and first responders have confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and there have been a total 74 deaths. Health care workers who are employed in skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care facilities continue to make up the highest proportion of cases at 35 percent, but their percentage has been declining as the number of cases in outpatient settings rises.  Nurses (including LVNs and practical nurses) continue to account for the most deaths (45%) and those who work in skilled nursing facilities represent the largest portion of the healthcare worker deaths (65%).

To date, Public Health has identified 176,028 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,375 deaths.  Ninety-two percent of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,083 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% 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, six cases and two deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Of the 17 new deaths, seven people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, seven people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Fourteen people had underlying health conditions including six people over the age of 80 years old, six people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, one person between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

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 24 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist 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.

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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