Public Health Reminds Residents of the Risks from Gathering with People from Outside Your Household

Public Health Reports 45 New Deaths and 840 New Positive Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 45 new deaths and 840 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. The 7-day average of new cases is just under 1,300, which has declined steadily over the past month.

Younger residents continue to make up the majority of positive new cases. Of the new cases reported today, 70% are of people under the age of 50 years old. Residents between the ages of 30 and 49 years old have the highest number of new cases among all age groups in LA County, 35% of new cases today. Children under the age of 11 years old represent 6% of new cases today.

There continues to be widespread transmission of the virus in L.A. County, which is why it is important not to gather with people who aren’t part of your household as it puts you at a greater risk for COVID-19. It is still safest to stay at home and avoid gatherings, even if everyone present is taking precautions.

The following examples of in-person gatherings are not permitted, even if they feel safe: celebrating the new arrival of a baby with a baby shower or gender reveal party; having a barbeque with a group of friends in the backyard for Labor Day; hosting a study group with school students; having dinner with extended family and friends to honor the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur); gathering at the beach with friends over the hot weekend. These types of gatherings are risky as they bring together people who do not live together and increase the chances of community transmission.

To date, Public Health has identified 242,521 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,829 deaths. There are currently 1,057 hospitalized, of which 33% are confirmed cases in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 87 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of the 45 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 16 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 17 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. Forty people had underlying health conditions including 14 people over the age of 80 years old, 16 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, nine people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and one person between the ages of 30 and 49.

Ninety-three 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 5,486 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 10% 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 2,305,085 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“We are sad to report today that more Angelenos have lost their lives to COVID-19, and their loved ones are in our hearts as they mourn,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we look at the possibility of re-opening more businesses and, eventually, schools, there is a lot at stake. Increased numbers of people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, at a time where we need to be doubling down on our efforts to slow the spread. Our past weekend inspections demonstrated that 20% of restaurants and 17% of markets are still not in compliance with the Health Officer Orders. This does not help us get our numbers down.”

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.

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.

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