Los Angeles Public Officials gave updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, August 10. The County has seen drastic fluctuations throughout the spread of coronavirus. July brought a turn for the worst in community transmission. However, August has been showing a stabilization in many of the state order benchmarks. The Los Angeles Public Health Department released the most recent data surround COVID-19 and explained what this is going to mean for the future of L.A.
Chairwoman of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Kathryn Barger provided a response to the inquiry for assistance during this economic flux. She mentioned a workshop for loan and grant writing; it will equip and encourage small businesses and organizations with knowledge and tools to remain open.
The workshop spends time with community partners to work as a crutch during this crucial time for small business. Barger shared there are many platforms of resources the county provides, she stated, “Our business community has endured tremendous difficulties because of the closure necessitated by COVID-19, we are doing what we can to support them while protecting each person’s health and their wellbeing.“
Recent statistics shown on Monday reflect 19 additional deaths, five of these individuals were over the age of 80, four of them had underlining health conditions. Seven people who died were between the ages of 65-79, six victims had preexisting health concerns. five individuals were between the ages of 50-64, and four of them had underlining health problems. Two people who passed were between the ages of 30-49 and they both had previous medical issues. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in L.A. County to 4,996.
The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 4,688 fatal cases showed 10% were African American, 15% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 49% were LatinX, 24% were White, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 92% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns.
There were 1,920 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 210,424 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 8,775 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 2,112 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 1,246 positive cases, 381 victims were temporarily housed in a shelter and properly isolated.
The data is showing signs of stability, the health department is still very cautious about future actions. The delay from lab results play a huge part of inaccurate numbers the health department finds. Based off current numbers, daily hospitalization is seeing less than 1,900 patients in the last week. The death rate is also showing stability, the average is 37 fatal cases. Within the last few days, the daily increase is also showing a consistent flow with no spikes or increase.
Barger confirmed the allocation of 1.2 billion dollars that Los Angeles County received from federal government through the CARES Act. She ensured these funds will provide the county with significant resources for residents and business owners. This includes 650-million dollars for public health benchmarks such as, expansion of community testing and contact tracing. 200-million dollars will be funneled for food assistance, renter’s relief, and childcare vouchers.
