Monday, July 20 Los Angeles Public Officials shared updates on the outbreak of COVID-19. Community leadership stressed the dangers in escalation in positive cases and community transmission found in the last few weeks, Los Angeles is on the cusp of another mandated Safer at Home Order. The L.A. Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer shared the latest numbers surrounding the community transmission. The results are showing the root cause of the escalation stems from gatherings that happened during the Fourth of July weekend.
Chairwoman of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Kathryn Barger stated that recent rise in positive cases can be linked to events that took place on July 4, results in spread show up 2-3 weeks after a person has contracted the virus. “We cannot stress this enough; we need everyone to do their part and adhere to all the guidelines public health officials have put in place to keep Los Angeles county safe.”
The need for testing has been amplified, the county plans to meet the demands by mobile and pop-up testing sites. Tests are prioritized to those who are most susceptible to the virus. The cases of hospitalization are on the rise, public officials emphasize the reservation of tests for groups of people that would have the most severe infection if they were to contract the virus. They expressed that staying at home is crucial during these times of uncertainty.
Latest numbers surrounding coronavirus shared on July 20, reflected 9 additional deaths, six of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, four of them with underlining health conditions. Two people who died were between the ages of 41-65, one victim had preexisting health concerns, this brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 4,104.
The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 3,820 fatal cases shown 11% were African American, 15% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 47% were LatinX, 26% were white, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 93% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns.
Ferrer disclosed on Monday, there were 3,160 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 159,045 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 6,445 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 1,700 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 916 positive cases, 314 victims were temporarily housed in a shelter and have been properly isolated.
The Los Angeles Public Health department continues to monitor and stay in line with state orders throughout this pandemic, there has been concerning spikes in multiple measurements including hospitalization, community transmission, and death rates.
Under the new course of direction, the economy is left vulnerable and in critical condition. Last week Mayor Eric Garcetti announced ten-million dollars has been funneled to the L.A. Regional COVID-19 Team Recovery Program. As previously stated, with recent shutdowns, small businesses are at high risk of not being able to keep afloat during this time. Garcetti announced another step forward in helping local businesses and their staff by providing funds, to help solidify their footing during the waves of closing and reopening of the economy.
