COVID-19 New Cases and Hospitalizations Continue to Break Records

L.A. County Public Health advises everyone to stay home as much as possible

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) again confirms the highest daily number of new cases and people hospitalized with COVID-19. Today, Public Health has confirmed 44 new deaths and 7,854 new cases of COVID-19.  The number of new cases surpasses the previous all-time high of 7,593 reported on December 1.

This is the second time this week Los Angeles County has surpassed the previous record for new cases and third consecutive day for hospitalizations.

There are 2,572 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU.  This number surpassed yesterday’s all-time high of 2,439 people hospitalized with COVID-19.

A continued surge in cases and hospitalizations is not sustainable because as hospitalizations increase sharply, the healthcare system can become overwhelmed.

Activities become riskier as local case levels rise, and the risk increases even more when those activities involve the removing of face coverings in close distance around people not in the same household.

Please stay home as much as possible. Even if you don’t feel sick, the simple act of being around people outside your household is extremely risky right now. Avoid doing any activities that are not essential. Always wear a face covering whenever outside your home, keep your distance from others not in your household, wash your hands frequently, and avoid crowds. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those that are older should remain in their home and not be around others as much as possible.

To date, Public Health identified 421,881 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,782 deaths.

“We send our deepest sympathies to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. We are so sorry for your loss and wish you peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are at a dangerous point where surging cases and hospitalizations are not letting up.  The County, State and local jurisdictions have taken measures to reduce crowding and mingling among non-household members, however this is a health crisis that requires all of us to take action and be diligent.  I can’t emphasize this enough – everyone must take personal steps to protect themselves and protect others. We can’t afford lapses in the straight-forward recommended safety measures because they have deadly consequences. It is a mistake to relax and let down our guard.  Staying home is the best way to protect ourselves, those we love, and those most vulnerable in our communities.”

Because people experiencing homelessness are likely to have underlying conditions that make them more susceptible to negative COVID-19 outcomes, the County continues working with partner organizations to address their needs in efforts to reduce virus transmission. This week, there are 132 new cases among people experiencing homelessness.  Similar to increases in community cases, weekly reported cases among people experiencing homelessness increased 97% from 67 new cases the week of November 9 to 132 new cases this week.

Of the 44 new deaths reported today, 17 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 14 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, five 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-eight people who died had underlying health conditions including 12 people over the age of 80 years old, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, three people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, two people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

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 7,345 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, 158 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 3,808,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

Businesses that are not adhering to safety protocols to protect workers and customers increase the risk for transmission of COVID-19. A list of non-compliant businesses that received citations can be found online.

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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