Number of coronavirus deaths doubled in L.A. County over the last week

Medical staff work inside an isolation area of the emergency department at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where patients with COVID-19 are being treated, in 2020. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Apr 27, 2020 / 08:18 AM PDT

Updated: Apr 27, 2020 / 09:55 AM PDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Los Angeles County doubled in the last week amid new evidence that the poor are being hardest hit, according to the county health department.

As of Sunday, the county had recorded 916 deaths and nearly 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Officials said the rising numbers underscore the need to stay indoors as much as possible and also raise questions about when Los Angeles County will be able to ease its strict social distancing rules.

“Because we are still seeing a significant increase in new cases and deaths, we ask that you continue to stay home as much as possible,” Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, said over the weekend.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.