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313 N. Figueroa Street, Room 806  |  Los Angeles, CA 90012  |  (213) 240-8144  |  media@ph.lacounty.gov

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For Immediate Release:

June 17, 2020

Los Angeles County Announces 34 New Deaths Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) - 2,129 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 34 new deaths and 2,129 new cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is the highest number of new cases reported in a day, however about 600 cases are from a backlog of test results. Twenty-three people who died were over the age of 65 years old, seven people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, and four people who died were between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Twenty-three people had underlying health conditions including 17 people over the age of 65 years old, four people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and two people between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

To date, Public Health has identified 77,189 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 2,991 deaths. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 2,779 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 42% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 29% among White residents, 17% among Asian residents, 11% among African American residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 24 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents. There are 1,420 people who are currently hospitalized, 28% of these people are in the ICU and 22% are on ventilators. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for nearly 854,000 individuals and 8% of people testing positive.

With support from Public Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the City of Los Angeles, testing of all residents and staff has been completed in all 315 skilled nursing facilities in LA County, not including Long Beach and Pasadena. This includes facilities that have had outbreaks and facilities that have not yet had outbreaks. Of the over 30,000 tests results currently available from among both residents and staff, 6% tested positive for COVID-19 and 78% of the people testing positive were asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Additionally, Public Health continues to see a decrease in skilled nursing facilities seven-day rolling average of daily COVID-19 deaths. In early May, the average daily deaths at skilled nursing facilities was 25 or 26 and in early June the average daily deaths at skilled nursing facilities was 16 or 17.

“Our hearts go out to the many families who have lost people they love to COVID-19. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day. We are so sorry for your loss,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While many may be feeling relief that more businesses and facilities are opening, and that people are going back to work, please remember that the key to moving through our recovery journey successfully is to look out for one another. This means practicing physical distancing as much as possible and wearing a cloth face covering whenever you are around other people who are not from your household. This includes when you are walking along a sidewalk or standing in line at the store; if you will pass by others, please be wearing your face covering."

Because this virus has not changed and is still easily transmitted among people in contact with each other, 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. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County's vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

Public Health issued a modified Health Officer Order that allows select sectors to reopen once they implement the required protocols for infection control and distancing. The Health Officer Order contains protocols for all businesses that are permitted to reopen to ensure it is done as safely as possible for employees, customers and residents. Employees and visitors to these businesses need to wear a cloth face covering when around other people and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet at all times. Some employees may also be required to wear face shields. It is important for everyone to follow the directives and to do their part every day to keep everyone as safe as possible.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website,

Laboratory Confirmed Cases -- 77189 Total Cases*

Deaths 2991

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Hospitalization

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

CITY / COMMUNITY (Rate**)

These numbers are subject to change based on further investigation. Twenty-four cases and two deaths previously reported were not in Public Health's jurisdiction. * Means that case numbers include cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks located in the city/community. **Rate is crude and is per 100,000. This represents the number of cases per 100,000 people and allows for the proportional comparison of cities of different sizes.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well-being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises nearly 4,500 employees and has an annual budget of $1.2 billion. To learn more about Los Angeles County Public Health, please visit www.publichealth .lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lapublichealth, facebook.com/lapublichealth, instagram.com/lapublichealth and youtube.com/lapublichealth.


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