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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:

August 22, 2020

Public Health Reports 48 New Deaths and 1,644 New Positive Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 In Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 48 new deaths and 1,644 new cases of confirmed COVID-19.

Younger residents continue to make up the majority of positive new cases. Of the new cases reported today, 71% are of people under the age of 50 years old. Residents between the ages of 30 and 49 years old have the highest number of new cases among all age groups in LA County, 35% of new cases today.

While people in this age group typically have low risk for serious illness or death from COVID-19, Public Health is concerned they may unknowingly infect parents, grandparents, and friends and family who have underlying health conditions and who are at greater risk for serious illness and death. And while, younger people have less risk, 26% of deaths in LA County have occurred among people younger than 65 years old and sadly, almost 400 individuals between the ages of 30 and 49 have died from COVID-19.

The state is monitoring all counties on six indicators to determine their progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19. These indicators include testing capacity, how much transmission of the virus is happening in the community, how many people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, and the capacity of hospitals to care for people with COVID-19 with adequate numbers of available Intensive Care Unit beds and ventilators. LA County is meeting 5 of the state’s 6 indicators, only failing to meet the threshold of having less than 100 cases per 100,000 residents. The case rate per 100,000 people today is 218.

The positive trends that the county is seeing can be attributed to a host of efforts that entailed significant sacrifices from people, all of which decreased opportunities for transmission, particularly in high-risk settings. Residents are urged to continue physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both their nose and mouth when in contact with other people not part of their household.

To date, Public Health has identified 230,662 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,537 deaths. There are currently 1,280 hospitalized, of which 33% are confirmed cases in the ICU. Upon further investigation, 36 cases and two deaths reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

Of the 47 new deaths reported today (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena), 16 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 17 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Thirty-eight people had underlying health conditions including 12 people over the age of 80 years old, 16 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, seven people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old and two people between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.

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 5,209 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 50% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 10% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

Testing results are available for 2,168,595 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“Though there are promising signs that our collective efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 are working, we are sad to report today that more Angelenos have lost their lives to COVID-19, and their loved ones are in our hearts as they mourn,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we begin another hot summer weekend in Southern California, it’s important that we remain mindful of all the precautions we have to continue to take if we want to decrease community transmission enough to re-open schools. Being around people who aren’t part of your household puts you and them at a greater risk for COVID-19, which is why it is so important to stay at home as much as possible and avoid all gatherings, of any size, with people who are not part of your household. When you go outside for exercise and to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, wear a face covering, avoid crowds and stay a safe distance away from others.”

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, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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.

Please see additional information below:

Laboratory Confirmed Cases 230662 Total Cases*

Deaths 5537

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. Thirty-six cases and two death 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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