Public Health Reports 51 New Deaths and 2,645 New Cases as Delays in State Reporting Continues to Influence Numbers

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 51 new deaths and 2,645 new cases of COVID-19. While these numbers are high, hospitalizations continue to decline as there are currently 1,610 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Of these, 31% are confirmed cases in the ICU.

The reported case numbers today include all of the current lab reports from the electronic lab report system (ELR). The state anticipates sending the backlog of lab reports over the upcoming days. Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, were not affected by this reporting issue.

This State ELR issue has affected the County’s contact tracing efforts. Given the past ELR delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

To date, Public Health has identified 206,761 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,967 deaths. Upon further investigation, 51 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of the 50 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 15 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 19 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 12 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Thirty-eight people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 80 years old, 16 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, seven people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and two people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,659 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 49% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 110% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Testing results are available for 1,914,731 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“Each day, we are thinking of the many people across LA County who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. You are in our prayers, and we hope you find healing during this difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “After a fairly rough July, we are cautiously optimistic about what our numbers are showing in the first week of August, particularly the information on declining daily hospitalizations. As we look to the future and continue planning our recovery, the lessons from our recent past serve as a reminder that we need to continue our vigilance in the face of this still new and dangerous virus. We have many weeks ahead where we need to continue to limit the spread of COVID-19 and this will require putting on hold some activities we may love that put others at grave risk.  So please, avoid parties and crowded situations, wear face coverings at all times when out of your home, maintain physical distance from people you don’t live with, and wash your hands frequently.”

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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