Wednesday, July 29, Los Angeles public officials shared updates surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. They confirmed L.A. is seeing a trend of stability within critical benchmarks. Los Angeles Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer disclosed the recent numbers the city is facing. The focus was on equity and providing comprehensive solutions to the imbalances among different ethnicities.
Public officials acknowledged the imbalance in resources among communities, “We all need to take actions to eliminate the disproportionality–that’s devastating some of our communities,” stated Dr.Ferrer.
Latest numbers surrounding coronavirus shared on July 29, reflected 91 additional deaths. 31 of these individuals were over the age of 80, 28 of them with underlining health conditions. 27 people who died were between the ages of 65-79, 22 victims had preexisting health concerns. 17 individuals were between the ages of 50-64, 14 of them had underlining health conditions. Seven people who passed were between the ages of 30-49, with six of them having previous medical conditions. Three victims were between the ages of 18-29, with two of them having preexisting health issues. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in L.A. County to 4,516.
The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 4,223 fatal cases showed 11% were African American, 15% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 48% were LatinX, 25% were White, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 92% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns, and 18% of COVID-19 cases are among youth between 4-17.
Ferrer disclosed on Wednesday, there were 4,825 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 183,383 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 7,895 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 1,923 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 1,029 positive cases, with 351 victims were temporarily housed in a shelter and properly isolated.
The Los Angeles Public Health department continues to monitor and stay in line with state orders throughout this pandemic, the county is working on the dynamics of physical distancing within schools and education. Children are vulnerable to COVID-19 and can also spread the virus. The reopening of in-class sessions must be handled with the upmost of care.
School reopening waivers are a state allowance, affording local health officers the choice to grant waivers to school districts and private schools. That would permit schools to reopen, an online application currently in the developing stages. In order to apply there needs to written consent from districts super-intendent, and it must include information about the number of students and staff that would be returning.
The county recognized the imbalance and the effects that happen among Black and Brown communities during this global pandemic. Supervisor Hilda Solis ensured that future test locations are chosen in response to the inequality found within those communities. On Monday, a testing site came online in South Gate and there is a new location in Montebello that opened yesterday. Additionally, Solis spoke about the unsheltered and the efforts the County and State are taking to find a solution for those who are most susceptible to the virus.
Over 4,000 hotels have been leased to provide temporary housing and isolation areas for Angelenos experiencing homelessness. As of July 22, over 12,000 people who are unsheltered have been tested; the positivity rate for COVID-19 among them is 2.6%. Solis reminded county residents to wear face coverings and to avoid gatherings, the safety of someone’s life can be affected by the actions of the collective community.
