Public Health Reports 18 New Deaths and 1,236 New Positive Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 18 new deaths and 1,236 new cases of confirmed COVID-19.

L.A. County has not yet experienced a significant surge in cases associated with the Labor Day holiday.  For the week ending September 5, 2020, the average number of daily cases was 1,176; for the week ending today, September 25, 2020, the average number of cases was 1,074. While it is still possible to see additional cases associated with exposures related to the Labor Day holiday, it is unlikely that we will experience the same sharp increases in the number of cases we saw after the Memorial Day and July 4^th holidays. This is likely due to the actions many businesses and individuals took over the September holiday, and continue to take, to limit transmission of the virus by adhering to the Health Officer Order, including avoiding gatherings and crowds.

However, our daily case numbers continue to indicate that there is still wide-spread community transmission of COVID-19 and younger people are driving new infections.  Nearly 70% of the new cases reported today occurred among people under the age of 50 years old.

There are 715 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 and 29% of these people are in the ICU. The number of daily hospitalizations has remained under 800 daily hospitalizations since mid-September.

To date, Public Health has identified 266,988 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 6,504 deaths. Upon further investigation, 23 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

“Our hearts got out to the family and friends of those who have passed away from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we enter the fall, I am hopeful that we can remain collectively committed to making progress by reducing the transmission of the virus. I do not think it is inevitable that we see a huge surge again this fall.  Rather, I am convinced by our recent data and the actions taken by many, that we can do what is essential to slow the spread.  I know it won’t be easy and it will require continued sacrifices and hardships.  We cannot yet re-open every sector; we cannot yet host and attend gatherings and events; we cannot yet stop protecting those who are most vulnerable.  I do believe, however, that we can continue a thoughtful and measured recovery that prioritizes making it as safe as possible for children to get back to school and adults back to work.”

Of the 18 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), six people that passed away 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. Fifteen people had underlying health conditions including five people over the age of 80 years old, seven people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, one person between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and two people between the ages of 30 and 49. Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

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 6,120 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 more than 2,624,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

Please remember 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 symptoms. 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, wear face coverings in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, and wash hands frequently.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Data Dashboard, Recovery Metrics, 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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