UPDATE
April 2

By Mary O’KEEFE

LA County Dept. of Public Health

The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health reported today, Thursday, April 2, 534 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 new confirmed deaths due to the virus. Twelve of the 13 deaths occurred in people over the age of 65; one person was between 41 and 65 years old. All reported underlying health conditions except for one person over the age of 65.

These new numbers bring the total COVID-19 cases to 4,045 in LA County, including a total of 78 deaths.

“Upon further investigation, seven cases reported earlier were not LA County residents. As of today, 879 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized at some point during illness,” according to a statement from Public Health.

There is evidence that suggests there may be a significant number of people infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic and capable of spreading the virus to others. New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] suggests that people need to think about using universal precautions all the time – assuming that each of us can infect others even when we aren’t sick, according to Public Health.

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
There are six patients currently in the hospital who are confirmed as having COVID-19; 13 have been sent home and nine were transferred. There were 15 patients who tested negative for COVID-19 currently in the hospital, 97 have been sent home and one patient was transferred. There are nine patients with pending COVID-19 tests and six patients have been sent home.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman
Assemblymember Laura Friedman will be hosting a tele-town hall meeting on Saturday at 2 p.m. Friedman will be joined by clinic and hospital executives/administrators to discuss what they are seeing in their fields, how they are responding to the numerous challenges they’re facing and what advice they can give the community.

The event page is https://a43.asmdc.org/event/upcoming-event.

Singer/Musician Lizzo Supports Medical Staff at Adventist Health Glendale
Adventist Health Glendale got a surprise from singer Lizzo when she treated caregivers to lunch on Wednesday.
“I just wanted to show you a token of my appreciation by sending you all some lunch,” Lizzo said in a viral message.
“Thank you to music superstar @lizzo who treated Adventist Health Glendale caregivers to lunch [on Wednesday],” said Alicia Gonzalez, Adventist Health Glendale spokeswoman. “Thank you for supporting our doctors, nurses and support staff as they work tirelessly to service our community during the COVID-19 health emergency.”
The staff was appreciative of this donation during this time of crisis.
“As Covid-19 continues to spread quickly throughout the nation, those who work in health care and at our hospitals are truly heroes, stepping up in a way that deserves our gratitude and admiration,” Gonzalez added.  “Lizzo, we feel so honored by your generosity. Heartfelt thank you from Adventist Health Glendale.”

#Togetherinspired  #CuzILoveYou #SomeGoodNews

A Message from Adventist Health Glendale
“At Adventist Health Glendale, we have been preparing for COVID-19 around the clock. From setting up a separate triage area by the emergency department to increasing our critical bed capacity and staffing, securing supplies, protective equipment, ventilators and more, our team’s response and level of readiness has been exceptional. I am very impressed and grateful to our organization, especially to our fearless physicians, frontline staff and leaders for rallying together to care for our community in an unprecedented time of need.

“We are also so grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from our amazing community during this public health crisis. Many of you have asked how you can help. We are accepting donations based on nationwide shortages: medical-grade and industrial-grade N95 masks, surgical and isolation masks and gowns, goggles, face shields, gloves, hand sanitizer and antiseptic wipes. We are also accepting monetary gifts. To learn more about how you can help Adventist Health Glendale during this pandemic, visit our website at www.adventisthealth.org/glendale.  

“Special thanks to music superstar Lizzo who treated Adventist Health Glendale caregivers to lunch on April 1. We appreciate you supporting our doctors, nurses and support staff as they work tirelessly to serve our community.

“Adventist Health is also launching COVID-19 chat tool and symptom checker on its websites starting Friday. This easy-to-use tool can be found at https://www.adventisthealth.org/glendale/ and will provide users with the appropriate follow up information:

• The Adventist Health virtual visit page to make an appointment;
• The Adventist Health emergency services page to help users locate the nearest ED; or
• To shelter-in-place and monitor symptoms

“The tool is available to users 24 hours a day and also provides the latest updates about COVID-19 and the answers to commonly asked questions. All of this information is sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is updated daily.

“As COVID-19 continues to spread quickly throughout the nation, those who work in health care and at our hospitals are true heroes, stepping up in a way that deserves our gratitude and admiration. We are all in this together.”