Get updates on the coronavirus in Los Angeles County including the latest news from Mayor Garcetti, LA County health officials and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
LOS ANGELES — Here are the current numbers of novel coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County and across Southern California:Public health officials on Saturday confirmed an additional 38 deaths and 691 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the region’s death toll to 1,209. The total number of positive cases in the county increased to 24,894. Officials said 28 people who died were over the age of 65 years old, seven people were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and one person was between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Twenty-eight people had underlying health conditions, including 23 people over the age of 65 years old, four people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old and one person between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Los Angeles County health officials reported on Friday that 21 employees tested positive for COVID-19 at a Ralphs grocery store in Los Angeles. Health officials said the Ralphs is located at 7257 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA,90046. Los Angeles County officials on Friday confirmed an additional 62 deaths and 1,065 new COVID-19 positive cases, increasing the region’s death toll to 1,172 and total case number to 25,215. County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said, to date,92 percent of those who died had underlying health conditions. Ferrer also announced that 106 pregnant woman in the county have tested positive for coronavirus. One mother who tested positive lost her baby, though she didn’t specify if it was related to the virus or not. Ferrer also added that there is currently no evidence to suggest that pregnant woman are transmitting the virus to their newborns. Public health officials on Thursday confirmed an additional 55 deaths and 733 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the region’s death toll to 1,111. The county’s positive case total now stands at 23,182. County officials said coronavirus testing is currently not being offered for “low-risk, asymptomatic people” after Los Angeles city announced it would provide testing for all of its residents. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said this week COVID-19 testing began for all residents and staff at all skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County whether they have symptoms or not. Ferrer said among those who have died from COVID-19,525 people were residents in “institutional settings.” Those fatalities now represent 47% of all deaths in Los Angeles County. Public health officials on Wednesday confirmed an additional 56 deaths and 1,541 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the region’s death toll to 1,056. The county’s positive case increased to 22,485. LA County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the jump in new cases was primarily due to the increase in testing. Dr. Ferrer said that 92 percent of people who have died had underlying health conditions and the number has not changed for the last two weeks. Gov. Gavin Newsom said an additional 78 people in California have died from coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 1,887. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state stands at 46,500. The governor said of those cases,3,495 patients are hospitalized, and the ICU rate stands at 1,186 COVID-19 patients. The governor also said announced a new EBT program that will provide up to 3.8 million kids benefits to replace the free or reduced-cost school meals that they are no longer receiving. In a Skype interview with ABC7, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore provided an update on the agency’s number of officers infected with COVID-19, as well as the measures in place to protect them and the public. Eighty-five LAPD employees had tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday morning, Moore said. “Our good fortune at this point is that — with the exception of one individual — they’re all recovering at home.”Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city has reached a deal with Honeywell to purchase 24 million N95 face masks. The N95 masks provide a higher standard of filtration against viruses and are therefore generally reserved for use by medical professionals who are directly dealing with COVID-19 patients. Garcetti said the masks that the city purchases will be provided to city first responders and sold at-cost to local hospitals and medical providers. The first masks are expected to be ready by May and then by later in the summer the city hopes to be able to provide more than 1 million masks a month. They will be produced by a factory in the United States only about six hours away from Los Angeles, Garcetti said. Garcetti also said the city and county continue to expand the availability of their drive-thru testing sites. In the past week, the sites have been opened up to front-line workers without symptoms, including grocery-store employees and rideshare drivers. Now they’ll also be open to construction workers, Garcetti said.
