The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 69 new deaths and 2,651 new cases of COVID-19. The increase in deaths reported today is significantly higher than what was reported last week. Last week’s average was nearly 38 new deaths a day.

There are 2,002 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. There are a total of 2,568 confirmed and suspect cases that are currently hospitalized and 18% of these people are on ventilators.

Public Health notes deaths are a lagging indicator of the spread of COVID-19 and reflects exposures that occurred weeks earlier.

To date, Public Health has identified 188,481 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 4,621 deaths. Upon further investigation, 42 cases reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of the 69 new deaths reported today, 18 people who passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, 25 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 15 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Forty-four people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 80 years old, 17 people between the ages of 65 and 79, 12 people between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people between the ages of 30 and 49. Six deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

The City of Glendale reports 2,353 cases, the City of La Cañada Flintridge reports 126 cases, Sunland reports 330 cases and Tujunga reports 275 cases. In the unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County La Crescenta/Montrose, 118 cases were reported.

Ninety-two 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 4,321 people (99% of the cases reported by Public Health).

Testing results are available for nearly 1,760,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who are grieving a loved one lost to COVID-19. I know you’re hurting, and I know these are incredibly trying times,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of Public Health. “As we are seeing increases these past few days in the numbers of people dying from COVID-19, the reality of the devastation cannot be ignored. Nor can we ignore the reality that there are actions each person can take to prevent these tragic outcomes. Together, we can slow the spread of this deadly virus with simple acts of respect and kindness — wear a face covering, avoid gathering with people you don’t live with, stay home as much as possible and practice hand hygiene. Together we can heal.”

Businesses are also responsible for helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 and they must report COVID-19 outbreaks to Public Health. This is a key element in the County’s recovery journey. Health Officer Orders require businesses with three or more known cases of COVID-19 over the span of 14 days to report the outbreak to Public Health. Employers who have one known case within the workplace must have a protocol that requires that person to self-isolate at home and anyone exposed to self-quarantine.

Residents are also encouraged to report suspected outbreaks and notify the department if their employer isn’t protecting them by following the critical infection control protocols in place. Residents can call (888) 700-9995. These tips can be submitted anonymously.

When people gather with people outside of their household it increases the risk of COVID-19 spread. All events and gatherings, unless specifically allowed by Health Officer Orders, remain prohibited. The more an individual interacts with others at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and for COVID-19 spreading. The higher the level of community transmission in the area that the gathering is being held, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spreading during a gathering.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things people can do to protect themselves, their families and their community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.