Public Health Reports 13 New Deaths and 1,343 New Positive Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 13 new deaths and 1,343 new cases of confirmed COVID-19.

To date, Public Health has identified 259,817 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,330 deaths. There are currently 732 people hospitalized, of which 31% are confirmed cases in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 42 cases and 13 deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Public Health continues to watch key indicators closely to measure community spread across the county. Daily case rates have risen the past four days and while this is likely to reflect the re-opening of testing sites and increases in the number of people tested this past week, the rise in cases may also suggest increased transmission over the Labor Day holiday.  We will be following our case numbers carefully over this upcoming week. Our test positivity rate has remained stable at 3% for the past week.

Of the 13 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), five people that passed away were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, four people that passed away were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Eleven people had underlying health conditions including five people over the age of 80 years old, three people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, two people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years.

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 5,954 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% 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 2,529,785 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“I want to recognize that this is a hard time for many people who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Please know that your county is with you and you are in our thoughts and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are making tremendous efforts in the county to reduce community spread of COVID-19 so that we can continue to open additional sectors with as much safety as possible. The recent increases in the number of new cases is of concern because it may reflect increased exposures associated with Labor Day activities. We are reminded that we need to carefully choose how to celebrate our holidays since our actions influence our recovery journey. Increases in cases in the past have resulted in more hospitalizations and more deaths. Please do everything you can to plan your holiday activities to avoid transmission of COVID-19 by following the public health distancing and infectious control directives. We still need to lower the number of new cases so that all students can get back to school and more business sectors can re-open.”

The best way to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus. Always put six feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household. Always wear a face covering in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household. The face covering is meant to protect other people in case you are infected. You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick. And others can spread COVID-19 to you when they have no illness symptoms. Please remember to also wash hands frequently.

If you are planning to visit the beach or another public place this weekend, please know that they may be crowded this weekend and any crowded space—even if it’s outdoors—can pose health and safety risks. Your best bet is to avoid crowds. Visit the public places at off hours, in the mornings or early evenings. Always stay physically distanced from anyone outside your party and wear a face covering when out in public.

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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