LISTING OF DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRESS RELEASES
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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 16, 2020

Public Health Reports 9 New Deaths and 1,192 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 9 new deaths and 1,192 new cases of COVID-19. The decrease in new cases and new deaths reflects a weekend reporting lag.

To date, Public Health has identified 221,950 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,254 deaths. Upon further investigation, four cases reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Public Health still anticipates receiving backlog cases from the state electronic lab report (ELR). Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.

There are 1,357 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 32% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. Daily hospitalizations numbers continue to steadily decline. This number was up to 2,200 in the middle of July.

Testing results are available for nearly 2,078,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

Of the nine new deaths reported today, four people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. Six people had underlying health conditions including three people over the age of 80 years old and three people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

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 4,942 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.

"To the many families suffering a loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we keep you in our thoughts and prayers," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "It is a collective responsibility shared between everyone including each resident and business to slow the spread of COVID-19. We need collaboration and unity to do those things we know reduce transmission of the virus so we can re-open with as much safety as possible. Because there are so many people infected with COVID-19 and spreading the virus who have no symptoms, and we ourselves could be infected and unknowingly spreading the virus, each of us needs to make sure we do everything we can to avoid being close to others not in our household. With the warm weather, this can be challenging as we seek to find places to go that offer relief from the heat. As much as possible, however, we still ask everyone to stay home and limit activities outside to what is essential – work, getting groceries and medicine, and medical visits. If you do go to the beach or the park, please remember to keep at least 6 feet of distance from those you don’t live with, wear face coverings at all times when out the home, avoid crowded places, and wash your hands frequently. We need to work together to lower our case rate so we can get our children back to school and more people back to work."

Business owners and business operators must follow infection control directives and take the necessary steps that protect workers and customers. Businesses must also immediately alert Public Health when there are three or more cases at a worksite. Directives and checklists for all businesses to follow are posted at: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

Residents are also encouraged to report non-compliance and dangerous conditions at businesses. Residents can call 888-700-9995. These tips can be submitted anonymously.

Given the ELR delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

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 Cases 221950 Total Cases*

Deaths 5245

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. Four cases 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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