L.A. County COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Soar Past Previous All-time Highs
46 New Deaths and 7,593 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms the highest number of new COVID-19 cases and people hospitalized with COVID-19 that L.A. County has ever experienced throughout the pandemic.
Today, Public Health has confirmed 46 new deaths and 7,593 new cases of COVID-19. The number of new COVID-19 cases significantly surpassed the previous high of 6,124 new cases seen last week, and signals that the virus is infecting more people at a faster rate than ever seen in L.A. County before. The daily test positivity rate today is almost 12%, up from 7% one week ago.
There are 2,316 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24% of these people are in the ICU. This exceeds the peak of 2,232 people hospitalized with COVID-19 during the July surge. The daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased nearly every day since November 1 when the daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 799.
Testing results are available for more than 3,760,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.
To date, Public Health identified 408,396, positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,700 deaths.
“To the families that are mourning their loved one who has passed away from COVID-19, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, is the worst day thus far of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County. However, it will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase. Every resident and every business needs to take immediate action if we are to dampen this alarming surge. We are in the middle of an accelerating surge in a pandemic of huge magnitude. This is not the time to skirt or debate the safety measures that protect us because we need every single person to use every tool available to stop the surge and save lives.”
To stop the surge, everyone needs to immediately stay home as much as possible and always wear a face covering whenever engaging in activities outside their homes. Do not mingle with others not in your household. Because COVID-19 spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets, face coverings combined with frequent hand-washing and physical distancing provide the best protection if you need to leave your home.
Public Health’s compliance teams continue to visit businesses across the County every day. Inspectors review Public Health protocols with business owners, identify deficiencies, and issue citations for those out of compliance. From November 8 through November 22, a total of 57 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, gyms, places of worship and private schools for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 352 citations have been issued. A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online.
Employees are reminded if you need to go onsite to work, wear a face covering, practice distancing and follow all other infection control requirements. If you have concerns about your workplace following safety protocols that keep you and customers safe, you can anonymously call the customer call center at (888) 700-9995, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To report violations online, visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
Universal compliance is essential to save lives. Issuing citations to businesses operating in violation of Health Officer Orders is one tool that assists in bringing businesses into compliance, however it is not the way we are going to get out of this pandemic. It is imperative that businesses as well as customers immediately and carefully follow the safety protocols and guidance that slows COVID-19 spread.
Businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program because it assists businesses with following the required directives and maintaining their operations with as much safety as possible. To date, 6,874 employers and 6,337 employees have completed the training. For more information on the program and to take the training course, visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov .
Of the 46 new deaths reported today, 22 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 10 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Twenty-nine people who died had underlying health conditions including 12 people over the age of 80 years old, eight people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, five people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29. 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 7,270 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 14% among Asian residents, 9% 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, 116 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.
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.
