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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:

November 21, 2020

Public Health Reports 34 New Deaths and 4,522 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County - New COVID-19 Cases Remain High and Daily Hospitalizations Continue to Increase

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 34 new deaths and 4,522 new cases of COVID-19. New COVID-19 cases reported remain high and the number of people hospitalized is increasing. Over the last four days, there have been a total of 17,769 new cases reported.

There are 1,391 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 26% of these people are in the ICU. This is nearly a doubling of the daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 since the beginning of October where the daily number of hospitalized patients was under 700.

Younger people continue to drive the increase in community transmission in the county. More than 72% of the new cases today are from people under the age of 50 years old. However, 91% of today’s reported deaths are people who are over 50 years old.

Of the 34 new deaths reported today, 15 people that passed away were over the age of 80 years old, 14 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, two 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 one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Thirty-two people who died had underlying health conditions including 15 people over the age of 80, 14 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, one person between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, one person between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and one person between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

Public Health reminds everyone to stay home as much as possible for the next two to three weeks to change the trajectory of surging cases and save lives. COVID-19 can unintentionally spread to other people unless we all practice the simple safety precautions that prevents transmission. Virus transmission can be significantly reduced if we all keep distance from others who we don't live with, always wear a face covering properly over our nose and mouth, and wash our hands frequently.

Additionally, it is very important that if you are even mildly sick or think you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 that you stay home and away from other people, especially those at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and consider being tested for COVID-19.

To date, Public Health identified 361,869 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,429 deaths. Testing results are available for nearly 3,530,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“We send our deepest sympathies to the families and friends that are grieving a loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Although this pandemic seems like it will never end, I assure you that it will. We thank everyone who is working hard and has incorporated public health guidance into their daily lives. We ask everyone to renew their efforts to slow the spread by staying home as much as possible, to always wear face covering securely over your nose and mouth when out and to avoid being with those not in your household. These simple actions together slow the spread of COVID-19. We have to change the alarming increases in cases and hospitalizations and get back to slowing the spread to avoid overwhelming our hospitals and save lives."

Ninety-three 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 7,012 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 52% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 23% among White residents, 14% among Asian residents, 9% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 104 cases and one death reported earlier were not L.A. County residents.

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.

Please see additional information below:

Laboratory Confirmed Total Cases 361869 *

Deaths 7429

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.104 cases and one 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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