COVID-19 cases reach 64,644 in LA County

Deaths and COVID-19 cases continue to rise, according to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

During her update on Monday, she said there have been 823 new cases and 10 additional deaths due to the virus. That brings the total number of cases in Los Angeles County to 64,644 and the total number of deaths to 2,655, which includes one death in Pasadena over the weekend.

Of those 10 deaths, six were over the age of 65 and three had underlying health conditions. Two were in the 41-65 age group and they also had underlying health conditions.

“Everyday we report on numbers, knowing they represent real people,” she said.

Of the 2,655 that have died, 41% were LatinX, 28% were White, 18% were Asian, 12% were African American, 1% was Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and -1% was classified as “other.”

Ferrer said there are 462 confirmed cases among the homeless population. Of those, 205 were sheltered and are now appropriately isolated. One additional person experiencing homelessness passed away, bringing the total number of deaths among the homeless population to 14.

The number of cases in Lancaster is 680, with 12 deaths, while Palmdale has 829 cases and 19 deaths.

Ferrer said 15,436 cases

have been confirmed in institutional settings, with 10,158 residents and 5,278 staff members testing positive.

One thousand four hundred thirty-two people had been living in an institutional setting died of COVID-19, with 89% of those residing in skilled nursing facilities.

“We’re working to make these spaces safe for workers and residents,” Ferrer said.

She said COVID-19 remains easy to transmit and it continues to cause serious illness and death.

“Every single social interaction that happens outside your household comes with risk,” Ferrer said.

She encouraged everyone to continue wearing face coverings and maintain social distancing of at least six feet.

“If you have spent time in large gatherings and think it is possible that you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 because you were not able to keep physical distance and not everyone near you was wearing a cloth covering, self-quarantine for 14 days and be particularly carefully to protect people who are at greater risk for serious illness from becoming infected,” Ferrer said.

She said the number of deaths and newly confirmed cases released by the county tend to be lower on Monday and Tuesday because of a lag in reporting over the weekend.

Despite cases and deaths continuing to rise, key indicators such as hospitalization rates have declined or remained steady, which gives officials some confidence in recent restricted re-openings of businesses such as nail salons and dine-in restaurants.

Los Angeles County officials said they are in the process of reviewing state guidelines, released Friday, providing steps for reopening more businesses, to include child care facilities, bars and schools. The state guidelines are pursuant to approval from individual counties.

“The county is actively reviewing the guidelines from the state to determine how these organizations can reopen with necessary safeguards and with the precautions in place,” County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “An announcement will be made prior to Friday, regarding which sectors can reopen with their final protocols.”

She said it’s another important milestone for the county, as they continue the path toward recovery and transition from safer at home to safer at work and safer in the community