As COVID-19 Spread Increases in L.A. County, Workplace Outbreaks Also Increase

Public Health Reports 25 New Deaths and 2,065 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 25 new deaths and 2,065 new cases of COVID-19. Today’s number of new cases surpasses yesterday’s and is the highest number of new cases not associated with backlog cases reported since late-August.

As COVID-19 spread continues increasing in Los Angeles County, the number of COVID-19 workplace outbreaks has also increased. During the two-week period of September 6 through September 19, there were 23 outbreaks in non-healthcare and non-residential workplaces, the lowest number of worksite outbreaks since June. During the two-week period from October 4 through October 17, the number of worksite outbreaks increased to 40.

Public Health is carefully tracking outbreaks at worksites and continues to assist sectors with the required business protocol compliance and safety measures.  During an outbreak, health inspectors assess the worksite and provide guidance to control the outbreak.  At times, this may include requiring a business to close until required measures are in place to prevent the virus from spreading. Worker protections and safe workplaces are a crucial part of slowing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the health of our communities.

Workers and employers can anonymously report to Public Health clusters of COVID-19 cases at worksites as well as violations of Health Officer Orders and Protocols in the workplace. They can call the Environmental Health Customer Call Center at 888-700-9995, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays. A complaint system to report violations is also available online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

To date, Public Health identified 315,564 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,140 deaths.

There are 825 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has slightly increased to over 800 in the last two days. Since mid-September, the daily number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 held steady under 800 people hospitalized.

“The number of deaths we have seen due to COVID-19 across our County is devastating. To everyone mourning a loved one who passed away from COVID-19, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We need to remain vigilant knowing that if cases continue to increase, we will likely see more hospitalizations and deaths in the coming weeks. The increases of COVID-19 cases at worksites is a reminder that transmission happens at many settings and in every situation, infected people spread this virus wherever appropriate protections are not in place.  If you are infected, you could unknowingly spread the disease to many others, including those who have underlying health conditions that increases their vulnerability for serious illness and death.”

African American/Black and Latino/Latinx residents and those who live in high poverty areas have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.  With the recent rise in cases, we are seeing a widening of the gap between Latino/Latinx residents and other groups.  Average daily cases among Latino/Latinx residents is now over twice that of African American/Black residents and White residents, and Latino/Latinx overall, are experiencing a slightly steeper increase of infection than other groups.

L.A. County continues to see decreases and stabilizing in the numbers of deaths across all race and ethnicity groups.

During the July and August peak, the mortality rate among Latino/Latinx residents was 6 deaths per 100,000 people, over four times that of White residents.  As of October 31, the mortality rate among Latino/Latinx residents decreased to 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people, twice that of African American/Black residents, Asian residents and White residents, all who have a mortality rate of a little less than 1 death per 100,000.

We continue to see a high mortality rate among people living in areas with the highest levels of poverty, with over three times the death rate when compared to people living in the lowest levels of poverty.

There is much work to do to close these gaps and address disproportionality, and we will continue to work with partners to address the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities that are essential for optimal health and well-being.  This includes working hard with businesses to ensure they adhere to the required protocols that protect employees and customers.

Of the 25 new deaths reported today, nine people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, seven people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Nineteen people who died had underlying health conditions including nine people over the age of 80, seven people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and three people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

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 6,731 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% 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. Upon further investigation, 27 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 3,200,000 individuals with 9% of all people testing positive.

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.