L.A. County Again Reports Incomplete Coronavirus Data, But Confirms 10 New Deaths

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health claims 10 new deaths and 1,703 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed.

But the data is again incomplete, as the state electronic lab reporting system once again appears to be at odds with county records-keeping. The number of cases is expected to increase in the coming days once the data becomes available.

Public Health is reporting 2,033 confirmed cases currently hospitalized, with 31% of those confirmed cases in the ICU. There are a total of 2,628 confirmed and suspect cases that are currently hospitalized and 16% of these people are on ventilators.

The hospitalization data is incomplete due to data from six non-reporting hospitals not being part of today’s update.

To date, Public Health has identified 173,995 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,360 deaths.

Of the 10 new deaths, three people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49 years old.

Seven people had underlying health conditions, including three people over the age of 80 years old, three people between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, and one person between the ages of 50 and 64 years old. Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach. Cumulatively, 92% percent of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,069 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, 33 cases and one death reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,640,000 individuals, with 10% of all people testing positive.

“We send our condolences and prayers to our neighbors who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 including the families and colleagues mourning two devoted first responders — a City of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter and a Los Angeles Police Department officer,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “The actions each of us take affect the lives of others including the very people we rely on to protect us — first responders and healthcare workers. We know that staying physically distant from people not in your household, wearing face coverings and washing hands frequently works to slow the spread of COVID-19 and saves lives. This pandemic has been tragic for many and frustrating and exhausting for most. We know the sooner we get back to slowing the spread the sooner we can move forward on our recovery journey.”