The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 54 new deaths and 3,116 new cases of COVID-19. 

Public Health anticipates a continued reporting of a backlog of cases as the State electronic laboratory system (ELR) reporting delay is addressed. Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.

There are 1,680 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. Currently, the County is seeing a downward trend in the number of daily hospitalizations. Last week, it was more than 2,000 daily hospitalizations were reported.

To date, Public Health identified 204,167 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 4,918 deaths.

Testing results are available for more than 1,893,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive. 

Of the 53 new deaths, 21 people who passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, 18 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and three people who died was between the ages of 30 and 49. Thirty-nine people had underlying health conditions including 17 people over the age of 80 years old, 13 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, seven people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and two people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old. 

The City of Glendale reports 2587 cases, La Cañada Flintridge reports 132 cases, Sunland reports 352 cases, Tujunga reports 303 cases, and the unincorporated portion of LA County La Crescenta/Montrose reports 122 cases.

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 4,610 people (99% of the cases reported by Public Health. Upon further investigation, 55 cases and four deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents.

“So many families are experiencing the pain and sadness of losing a loved one to COVID-19. We extend our deepest sympathies to all of you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of Public Health. “We remain guided by science and data that can be used appropriately to move us forward along the road to recovery in a measured way. The lower number of daily hospitalizations we are seeing is an indicator that we are making some progress. However, we need to see lower rates and our future success depends on commitments we each make every day about doing our part, working together and sustaining efforts that get us to the other side of this pandemic. Our collective goals of slowing the spread of this virus and reopening and keeping open vital community and economic sectors means we must put off the parties, gatherings and trips to crowded places in order to get to low community transmission rates so we can re-open our schools and get more people back to work.”

Businesses must make sure they are doing their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. Current Health Officer Orders require business owners to take immediate action to implement strategies that protect workers and customers. They must also report COVID-19 outbreaks to Public Health in a timely fashion. Health Officer Orders require businesses with three or more known cases of COVID-19 within the workplace over the span of 14 days, to report the outbreak to Public Health.

Residents must also make sure they are doing their part. Residents should not gather with anyone they don’t live with. They should wear a face covering securely over their nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in their household when out in public and wash hands frequently. All events and gatherings, unless specifically allowed by Health Officer Orders, remain prohibited.

This state ELR issue has undercounted the County’s positive cases and affects the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts. Given the current ELR delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call (833) 540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

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