COVID-19: LA County hits 242,521 cases, 5,829 deaths, reminds residents of risks of gatherings
–The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports there continues to be widespread transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. It is important not to gather with people who aren’t part of your household, the health department says, as it puts you at a greater risk for COVID-19. It is still safest to stay at home and avoid gatherings, even if everyone present is taking precautions.
The following examples of in-person gatherings are not permitted, even if they feel safe: celebrating the new arrival of a baby with a baby shower or gender reveal party; having a barbeque with a group of friends in the backyard for Labor Day; hosting a study group with school students; having dinner with extended family and friends to honor the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur); gathering at the beach with friends over the hot weekend. These types of gatherings are risky as they bring together people who do not live together and increase the chances of community transmission.
To date, Public Health has identified 242,521 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,829 deaths. There are currently 1,057 hospitalized, of which 33% are confirmed cases in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 87 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.
Younger residents continue to make up the majority of positive new cases. Of the new cases reported today, 70% are of people under the age of 50 years old. Residents between the ages of 30 and 49 years old have the highest number of new cases among all age groups in LA County, 35% of new cases today. Children under the age of 11 years old represent 6% of new cases today.
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 5,486 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% 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.
The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing, and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and act as if they are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until they receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.
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