In the deadliest day yet in the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles County officials today announced 81 new deaths from the virus and 642 additional cases, for a total of 576 deaths and 12,021 cases.
“Our deepest condolences go out to each and every person grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health.
In one week the county doubled the number of deaths it has seen from the virus, which has hit nursing homes particularly hard. Ferrer said additional support from the state has been requested, including more staffing, personal protective equipment, more testing and improvements in infection control.
Of the county’s 576 deaths, 89% had underlying health conditions, Ferrer said.
Of those who died, 36% occurred among Latinx residents, 29% among white residents, 17% among Asian residents, 16% among African American residents, and 3% among residents identifying with other races.
As of Saturday, 3,280 people who tested positive for COVID-19—the disease caused by the coronavirus—have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.
Testing capacity continues to increase in the county, with results available for more than 76,000 individuals, 14% of whom have tested positive.
On Friday, Ferrer said 20 nursing homes or care facilities have had outbreaks of 20 or more people testing positive.
The county is working with “a handful of nursing home providers who have offered to help us set up sites that can service COVID-19-positive patients that need to reside at skilled nursing facilities and intermediate-care facilities and are transitioning back, in many cases, from having stayed in a hospital for a few days,” Ferrer said.
Further underscoring that point, well over half of the skilled nursing facilities identified by California officials as having experienced one or more cases of COVID-19 are in Los Angeles County.
Of the 261 facilities on the California Department of Health list released Friday night, 148 are located in Los Angels County. The department’s website said the list is a snapshot representing 86% of the state’s 1,224 skilled-nursing facilities that have reported data within the last 24 hours.
Ferrer said Friday that 1,441 cases have been confirmed among health care workers in the county, 38% of them being nurses and 6% of them doctors.
Five deaths have been confirmed among health care workers, three of them nurses. Three of the deaths involved skilled nursing facility workers, one was a correctional health worker and one worked in a hospital, Ferrer said.
The county on Friday also announced the availability of free same-day testing for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough and difficulty breathing. To schedule an appointment, visit lacovidprod.service- now.com/rrs.