The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health (Public Health) confirmed, as of Tuesday, Jan. 12, 288 new deaths and 11,994 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 944,319 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County and a total of 12,674 deaths.

The county is experiencing “a horrific loss of life” due to COVID-19. Over the last seven days, 1,606 people lost their lives and this is an average of nearly 230 deaths per day.

Of the 288 new deaths reported on Tuesday, 100 people who died were over the age of 80, 106 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 61 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 17 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29. One death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

There are 7,926 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU.

The City of Glendale reported 13,828 cases, La Cañada Flintridge reported 580 cases, Sunland reported 1,670 cases, Tujunga 2,001 cases and in the unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County, Angeles National Forest reported 21 cases and La Crescenta-Montrose reported 766 cases.

While the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 each day has stabilized over the last few days at slightly under 8,000 patients, the demand on the County healthcare system and hospitals remains overwhelming.

The risk of acquiring and spreading COVID-19 continues to be elevated in LA County and businesses and employers play a key role in preventing and slowing the spread of COVID-19 within the workplace and community. All employers and businesses must follow Health Officer Orders and Public Health protocols that are in place to prevent unnecessary spread.

Public Health’s compliance teams continue to visit businesses across the County every day. Inspectors review the requirements of the Health Officer Order and Public Health protocols with business owners, identify deficiencies, and issue citations for businesses out of compliance. During Public Health’s most recent business compliance checks, inspectors noted that the majority of businesses visited were in compliance with most of the Public Health protocols. However, some businesses failed to adhere to capacity limits, ensure employees and patrons were appropriately distanced and wearing required face coverings, and did not post their completed protocol checklists. From Jan. 3 through Jan. 11, a total of 83 citations were issued to businesses including restaurants, gyms, personal care salons, hair salons/barbershops, places of worship and shopping malls for noncompliance with Health Officer Orders. Since the end of August, a total of 613 citations have been issued. For businesses that remain out of compliance, citations may be issued for up to $1,000 per occurrence.

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

Public Health encourages businesses to take advantage of the COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certification Program. The program provides business owners and employees the opportunity to take a free online training about COVID-19 infection control protocols and allows businesses to self-certify that they are fully implementing protocols in compliance with infection control and physical distancing requirements.

“Our hearts go out to every person experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of Public Health. “Please do not underestimate this virus or let your drive to interact in person with friends outweigh following the safety measures that are put in place to save lives. Like many residents, I am cheering for the Rams in the playoffs and grateful to be able to watch basketball games again, but we cannot make the same mistakes we did last year. There were far too many gatherings, viewing parties and celebrations with others that contributed to increased cases; the outcome will be disastrous to our healthcare system if we don’t follow the rules.”

Everyone must stay home as much as possible during this surge. When leaving home for essential services, a face covering must be worn and people should stay at least six feet away from those they do not live with; there should be no mingling, no crowding and ample opportunities to sanitize hands. Those who live with people who are older or have underlying health conditions Public Health advises wearing a face covering while indoors as well.

People must isolate immediately from their family and others if they have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those who are older should remain in their home and not be around others unless seeking essential health and dental care. Those who are having severe symptoms including difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, inability to wake or stay awake and/or bluish lips or face, should go to an emergency room or call 9-1-1.

Testing results are available for nearly 5,048,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive.

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.