Los Angeles County has 51 new deaths and 2,708 new cases of COVID-19, officials announced on Tuesday, July 28.
To date, LA County Department of Public Health has identified 178,642 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas across the county, and a total of 4,426 deaths.
In the coming days, the department said it will start receiving results from a backlog of cases due to reporting delays.
Of the confirmed cases, 2,051 arer currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU. There are a total of 2,621 confirmed and suspect cases that are currently hospitalized and 18% of these people are on ventilators. The hospitalization data is incomplete due to data from three hospitals not included in today’s update.
Of the 51 new deaths, 21 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 12 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29. Forty-four people had underlying health conditions including 20 people over the age of 80 years old, 10 people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, nine people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and two between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.
Testing results are available for nearly 1,675,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.
“To the many people across our communities who are mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19, we send you our heartfelt condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “As individuals, and as a community, we must collectively commit to continuously practice the behaviors that slow the spread of COVID-19. Compliance with public health directives, containment of the virus, and collaboration across all sectors are key for us to move into the long-term recovery that we all want to see happen as soon as possible.”
Public Health underscores the new set of three Cs: Compliance, Containment and Collaboration to move LA County forward through its recovery journey and protect the long-term health and well-being of residents and the workforce.
Compliance: Businesses must comply with Health Officer Orders and implement the strict infection control practices and distancing guidelines in place to protect the workforce and the public. Residents must continue to wear face coverings, maintain physical distancing, avoid gathering with people they don’t live with and continue washing their hands and cleaning high- touch surfaces.
Containment: Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain spread. Case interviews and contact tracing of people who are positive or exposed are isolating and quarantining must continue. Businesses and employers must do their part and alert the department to outbreaks at their work sites.
Collaboration: Collaborating across all sectors and government is imperative to ensure clear messages to the public, uninterrupted supply chains for testing supplies and personal protective equipment, and unity in strategies for re-opening with as much safety as possible.
Ninety-two percent of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,133 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 94 cases reported earlier were not LA County residents.
It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and isolate until they receive results . If the results are positive, infected people need to self-isolate for 10 days and 24 hours after symptoms and fever subside. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.
Public Health has a dedicated call line for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you are positive for COVID-19 and have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1-833-540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.
If someone receives a negative test result, they must continue to take every precaution to avoid contracting the virus or spreading the virus to others. A negative test result indicates only that a person wasn’t positive at the time they were tested.
