This week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reports almost 50 percent of new cases occur among younger people with the most significant increase in the percentage of cases among residents between 18 and 40 years old.
Hospitalizations for individuals between 18 and 40 years old have also increased from a little over 10 percent of hospitalized cases in April to nearly 25 percent in July.
As of Tuesday, there were 1,921 people hospitalized, 28 percent of whom are confirmed cases in the ICU and 18 percent are confirmed cases on ventilators.
Testing results are available for nearly 1,199,000 individuals, with 9 percent of people testing positive. The seven-day average of the daily positivity rate is 9.5 percent.
The Understanding America Study that is administered by USC’s Dornsife Center reports that 55.2 percent of LA County residents had close contact (within six feet) with people who do not live with them in the last seven days. This is an increase from the 30.5 percent reported from April 8-14.
“Many families are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19. We are so sorry for your loss, and wish you healing and peace,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “Thank you to the businesses and individuals that are working so hard to adhere to the protocols we have laid out, which are now more important than ever. Our ability to follow the most basic infection control and distancing directives reduces serious illness, and even death of the people we love, and the death of those loved by others.
“What we do now determines where we are in three to four weeks,” Ferrer said. “The sooner we all recommit to taking care of each other, the sooner we create a new normal, where we get back to work, school, and our friends and extended family.”
Public Health urges everyone to avoid the Three C’s: Crowded places, Confined spaces and Close contact with others not in your household. Everyone should always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out in public. Businesses must continue to follow Public Health directives. Public Health reminds everyone that you remain safer at home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory warning to not use any hand sanitizer manufactured by “Eskbiochem SA de CV” in Mexico, due to the potential presence of methanol, a “toxic alcohol”, as an active ingredient, which can cause blindness and/or death when absorbed through the skin or when swallowed. Most commercially available alcohol-based hand sanitizers or rubs contain either ethanol or isopropanol as active ingredients and are safe to use.
To date, Public Health has identified more than 117,000 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 3,534 deaths (at press time). Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 3,283 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 44 percent of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 27 percent among White residents, 16 percent among Asian residents, 11 percent among African American/Black residents, less than 1 percent among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1 percent among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, seven cases and one death reported earlier were not LA County residents.
