Virus cases reach over 8K, with 500 Asians testing positive
LOS ANGELES County officials on Friday, April 10 announced that the stay-at-home order will be extended until at least May 15 as new incidences of the novel coronavirus continue to be reported in the region.
The previous directive, which was announced a month ago, was set to expire on April 16.
This comes as 18 new deaths and 475 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday. To date, 8,430 positive cases and 241 deaths have been recorded since early March when the outbreak first hit the county.
“We are announcing an extension of our current order to May 15, 2020 and the extension includes a couple new measures,” said LA County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer during the daily briefing on Friday.
She reminded that all indoor and outdoor private gatherings and events continue to be prohibited; beaches, parks, trails remain closed; nonessential businesses will continue to be closed.
“Not because it isn’t working…It’s because it is working, we know it’s effective but we still have a way’s to go in order to both protect the lives in our county and to make sure that our health care system remains fully able to service all who need their care,” Ferrer explained.
The announcement also came with additional measures for essential services to take effect next Wednesday, April 15 at midnight, which includes the directive that businesses still open must provide employees whose work requires being around other employees and/or the public with cloth face coverings. Businesses must also publicly post how they are implementing cleaning and social distancing requirements in the workplace.
Ferrer said that engaging in outdoor activities alone or with household members can continue, as well as leaving homes for essential activities or to go to work that is still open as long as they practice physical distancing and wear cloth face coverings.
Of the recents deaths, 10 were over the age of 65, seven people were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old and one individual was between the ages of 18 to 40. Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments, reported one death each in their cities.
“I’m sad to report that 67 people who have passed away from COVID-19 were residents of institutional settings. This includes both skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. This now represents 28% of all of our deaths so more than 1 in 4 people…,” Ferrer said.
Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with almost 40,700 individuals tested and 15% of people testing positive.
This week, the county began releasing a breakdown of cases by race and ethnicity. Latino/Hispanic and White groups have over 1,000 cases, while there are 526 individuals of Asian descent who have tested positive. The races of nearly 3,500 subjects are still under investigation.
In terms of fatalities, 38 Asians have died. The numbers only involve LA County cases, not Long Beach and Pasadena.
Earlier this week, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that free testing in the county would expand beyond the vulnerable groups to consider those who show symptoms of COVID-19. The county now has 13 testing sites.
LA County leads with the highest number of cases in the state, which has 19,472 confirmed cases and 541 deaths overall as of Friday.
Based on 54% of cases, Asians comprise 13% of cases and 17% of deaths and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders are 2% of cases and 0.7% of deaths,
according to the state Department of Public Health.
Local health departments have reported 2,024 confirmed positive cases in health care workers — this includes on-the-job exposures, and other exposures, such as travel and close family contact.
Approximately, 185,300 tests have been conducted across the state as of Thursday. At least 172,076 results have been received and another 13,200 are pending.
