L.A. County COVID-19 Case Increases Driven by Younger Residents

One New Death and 923 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed one new death and 923 new cases of COVID-19. The low number of new deaths and new cases reported today reflect a reporting lag from over the weekend.

To date, Public Health identified 289,366 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 6,877 deaths.  Upon further investigation, eight cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents. Testing results are available for nearly 2,894,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

People of all ages are at risk of being infected with COVID-19 and younger groups are driving L.A. County’s case counts. Throughout the pandemic, people between the ages of 18 and 49 years old have had the highest number of cases, now accounting for 58% of all cases. When you add teenagers, a group who may be out socializing, individuals between 12 through 50 years old account for 68% of new cases.

There are 722 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people in the ICU.  People over the age of 50 years old continue to make up the majority (60%) of people hospitalized with COVID-19. People between the ages of 18 and 29 years old have had a significant increase in hospitalizations and now comprise of over 10% hospitalization.  This has doubled from the 5% of all hospitalizations seen in mid-May among this age group.

Everyday hundreds of Public Health specialists call people who are positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts. From September 24 through October 14, a total of 13,278 people who were positive for COVID-19 completed interviews. Of these individuals, 54% reported being in close contact with at least one other person. Since September, between 65% and 70% of both cases and contacts completed interviews. Almost one third of the interviews are not completed primarily because people do not return calls and or refuse to provide requested information.

During the interview process, most people were unable to identify where they may have been exposed; however, of those that can identify possible exposure sites, 55% said they attended an event or gathering where two or more people became sick, and 17% said they attended a place of worship where people became sick.  Over 3,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19 spent time at a retail setting, like a grocery store or other shop.  Over 1,400 people spent time at outdoor spaces, over 600 people visited restaurants and over 500 people had been in offices.

Obtaining as much information as possible from people during the case investigation interview helps contain the virus and minimize outbreaks and is a crucial part of protecting the health of communities. We encourage anyone who receives a call from Public Health to speak to our Public Health specialist. If a Public Health specialist calls, it will display on your phone as “LA Public Health” or as 833-641-0305.

“We send our deepest sympathies to everyone who is grieving a loved one or friend who has passed away from COVID-19.  We are so sorry for your loss,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are seeing younger people become very seriously ill from COVID-19 and tragically, some die.  It is important that people of all ages use every tool we each have to protect themselves and each other from transmission of the virus. We are very grateful to everyone – both those who are identified cases and those who are their close contacts – who has completed an interview with our contact tracing staff. Our team is here to help everyone in our communities stay as safe as possible. By talking with us, we can make sure you have the resources needed to protect those you love and those at increased risk for becoming seriously ill in our communities.”

As of October 13, there have been a total of three deaths among the 2,072 pregnant women that tested positive for COVID-19. All the women who died had underlying health conditions. Eighty percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 8% are White, 4% are African American/Black, 3% are Asian, 3% identify with another race, and race/ethnicity was unknown or unspecified for 2%.   The potential explanations for the disproportionality among Latinas are numerous and rooted in the inequities seen throughout this pandemic where Latinx communities have consistently experienced higher case, hospitalization, and death rates.  Among the 1,176 births where there was testing information, 17 babies tested positive for the virus.

Because Latinx residents are more likely to live in high-poverty areas where they have less access to the health affirming resources needed for optimal health and well-being and are more likely to work in lower-wage jobs with less control over their working conditions and a higher risk of workplace exposures, limiting workplace exposures is key to reducing the risk of exposure to pregnant Latinas and their partners. We continue to work with employers to implement workplace protocols and to identify clusters of positive cases before they turn into a workplace outbreak.

Public health tracks the number of positive cases and deaths among healthcare workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. There have been a total 101 COVID-19 deaths and a total of 16,435 positive cases among healthcare workers and first responders in Los Angeles County. Nurses continue to account for the majority of cases (36%) and deaths (44%) among healthcare workers. One-third (33%) of healthcare workers who tested positive for the virus worked at skilled nursing and assisted living facilities and 26% of healthcare workers testing positive worked at hospitals. Latino/Latinx people account for nearly 50% of all cases among healthcare workers, Asian healthcare workers account for nearly 15%, White healthcare workers account for 11%, and African American/Black healthcare workers account for nearly 7%. Public Health works with organizations across the county to ensure that health care workers are protected at worksites and have the personal protective equipment needed to stay safe.

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 6,474 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 14% 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

Today’s reported COVID-19 death occurred in a person over the age of 80 years old who had underlying health conditions.

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.

Please see additional information below:

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

289366

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*

274073

— Long Beach

12612

— Pasadena

2681

Deaths

6877

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

6493

— Long Beach

255

— Pasadena

129

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

4691

– 5 to 11

10142

– 12 to 17

12549

– 18 to 29

68087

– 30 to 49

93728

– 50 to 64

52794

– 65 to 79

20858

–  over 80

9560

–  Under Investigation

1664

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

138294

–  Male

132607

–  Other

149

–  Under Investigation

3023

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

261

–  Asian

8637

–  Black

8320

–  Hispanic/Latino

104608

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

790

–  White

22681

–  Other

28023

–  Under Investigation

100753

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

23071

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

12

–  Asian

937

–  Black

621

–  Hispanic/Latino

3330

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

20

–  White

1514

–  Other

40

–  Under Investigation

19

CITY / COMMUNITY**

Cases

Case Rate

City of Agoura Hills

204

977

City of Alhambra

1376

1587

City of Arcadia

560

970

City of Artesia

390

2322

City of Avalon

5

129

City of Azusa

1659

3315

City of Baldwin Park

3238

4218

City of Bell

1701

4682

City of Bell Gardens

2149

4989

City of Bellflower

2548

3278

City of Beverly Hills

725

2100

City of Bradbury

17

1590

City of Burbank

1790

1670

City of Calabasas

300

1233

City of Carson

1965

2094

City of Cerritos

619

1236

City of Claremont

425

1165

City of Commerce*

610

4668

City of Compton

4304

4308

City of Covina

1507

3074

City of Cudahy

1160

4764

City of Culver City

408

1023

City of Diamond Bar

590

1026

City of Downey

4413

3862

City of Duarte

606

2753

City of El Monte

4684

3994

City of El Segundo

139

828

City of Gardena

1317

2148

City of Glendale

4210

2039

City of Glendora

1289

2443

City of Hawaiian Gardens

552

3761

City of Hawthorne

2050

2309

City of Hermosa Beach

239

1215

City of Hidden Hills

13

688

City of Huntington Park

3121

5247

City of Industry

36

8238

City of Inglewood

3108

2736

City of Irwindale

74

5072

City of La Canada Flintridge

188

909

City of La Habra Heights

53

972

City of La Mirada

901

1817

City of La Puente

1667

4096

City of La Verne

530

1592

City of Lakewood

1408

1752

City of Lancaster*

3875

2398

City of Lawndale

682

2029

City of Lomita

254

1225

City of Lynwood*

3533

4904

City of Malibu

106

818

City of Manhattan Beach

386

1072

City of Maywood

1534

5469

City of Monrovia

812

2093

City of Montebello

2478

3849

City of Monterey Park

1012

1625

City of Norwalk

3548

3297

City of Palmdale

4655

2928

City of Palos Verdes Estates

106

784

City of Paramount

2557

4564

City of Pico Rivera

2629

4090

City of Pomona

5894

3780

City of Rancho Palos Verdes

326

763

City of Redondo Beach

613

892

City of Rolling Hills

12

619

City of Rolling Hills Estates

45

555

City of Rosemead

885

1599

City of San Dimas*

576

1669

City of San Fernando

1074

4364

City of San Gabriel

675

1648

City of San Marino

96

723

City of Santa Clarita

3945

1790

City of Santa Fe Springs

621

3382

City of Santa Monica

953

1031

City of Sierra Madre

83

755

City of Signal Hill

296

2509

City of South El Monte

866

4147

City of South Gate

4786

4876

City of South Pasadena

309

1186

City of Temple City

550

1509

City of Torrance

1520

1018

City of Vernon

13

6220

City of Walnut

309

1012

City of West Covina

3102

2866

City of West Hollywood

617

1670

City of Westlake Village

40

478

City of Whittier

2465

2819

Los Angeles

118100

2920

Los Angeles – Adams-Normandie

292

3560

Los Angeles