L.A. County Reports 40 More Coronavirus Deaths; Largest Single-Day Increase
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Forty more deaths due to coronavirus were reported in Los Angeles County today, the largest single-day jump in fatalities since the pandemic began, while the overall number of cases topped 10,000.
The sharp increases came one day after the county reported its lowest number of new cases -- 239. County public health director Barbara Ferrer noted that Monday totals are generally lower due to more limited testing on the weekends.
Ferrer reported 670 new cases on Tuesday, raising the countywide total to 10,047. The 40 new deaths increased the county's total to 360, and again raised the local mortality rate to 3.6% -- representing the percentage of coronavirus-positive residents who have died. The percentage has been steadily increasing, having been at about 1.8% in early April.
Of the 40 new deaths reported, 25 were over age 65. Seventeen of those 25 people had underlying health conditions. Nine of the 40 new deaths were people aged 41-65, five of whom had existing health problems. No data was immediately available on the other six cases.
The county has been compiling ethnic data on people who have died from COVID-19, but thus far such information was only available for 292 of the 360 people who have died. Of those 292, 34% were Latinx, 32% white, 17% Asian, 16% black and 2% were listed as other.
Of the county's 10,047 cases, 26 were homeless people, and all but four of them were unsheltered.
A total of 109 residents of nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities have died from the coronavirus, representing 31% of all deaths in the county. The county is investigating cases at 199 "institutional settings," such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, shelters, jails and prisons that have had at least one case. Those institutions have had a total of 1,596 cases.
A total of 64 cases have been confirmed in the county's jails -- 11 inmates and 53 staff members. There were also 29 cases in prisons, involving 19 inmates and 10 staffers, while four staff members at county juvenile facilities have tested positive, Ferrer said.
As of Monday, more than 63,000 people have been tested in Los Angeles County, with about 11% testing positive.
Ferrer reported Monday there have been 787 cases of the virus reported among health care workers, roughly one-third of them being nurses, while about 9% are doctors. She said three people have died, two who worked in hospitals and one correctional health worker.
Of the cases among health-care workers, 43% occurred among hospital workers, 19% in skilled nursing facilities and 12% in outpatient facilities.
