Long Beach health officials urged residents to stay vigilant to continue to slow the spread of coronavirus as the key indicators trend in the right direction.
Officials reported a total of 9,930 cases in the city and its 200th death: a man in his 60s who was not in a long-term care facility. All the people who have died in the city had underlying health conditions, according to officials. All but 67 of the 200 deaths were related to long-term care facilities.
Officials have reported 11 new deaths so far this week, a slight uptick from the past several weeks.
“I think what that tells us is that we need to continue to be vigilant about the work that we are doing and that we need to be particularly vigilant to ensure that we are being safe for ourselves, our families and the people around us,” health director Kelly Colopy said.
Long Beach is slowly coming closer to meeting the state’s COVID-19 indicators, but it’s still “quite a ways” from fully reopening, Colopy said. When it is able to reopen, the city would first focus on ensuring safe learning opportunities, and then less risky businesses, she said.
While Long Beach is now at a 7.5% positivity rate—below the state’s required 8%—the city is still at a 14-day average case rate of 184 cases per 100,000 residents, which is high above the goal of 100.
Colopy also warned residents of the heat wave and announced the city’s cooling centers would remain open through Sunday.