Dozens of new coronavirus deaths were reported Tuesday in Los Angeles County as health officials review whether the region can join other parts of California in reopening gyms and bars later this week.
Another 1,225 cases of COVID-19 and 56 deaths were confirmed Tuesday in L.A. County, bringing the total number of virus-related fatalities to 2,707.
Of all 65,822 cases identified in the county since March, 29% were reported in the past two weeks. And while the number of new cases in L.A. County over the past week is down 12% from the week before, it’s 22.5% higher than it was in the middle of April.
Public health officials are still working to determine when L.A. County will be able to move into Stage 3 of the state’s reopening plan, which kicks off Friday. But the county’s metrics tracker shows it’s falling short the number of tests being conducted — perhaps because many screening sites were shut down last week during mass protests.
The vast majority of the people who have died — 93% — had underlying health conditions, and only 11% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 have been hospitalized. But those who are less vulnerable are largely the ones spreading the virus, according to Barbara Ferrer, the public health director for L.A. County.
“It is important for us to remember that 83% of people testing positive for COVID-19 are under the age of 66,” she said in a written statement. “People who are positive can spread the virus fairly easily to others, even if they don’t have any symptoms.”
The World Health Organization on Tuesday walked back one of its official’s statements about asymptomatic people spreading the virus. After calling it “rare” on Monday, Maria Van Kerkhove clarified that the rate of asymptomatic spread is still “a major unknown” and her earlier comment was in reference to two or three studies completed so far.
In L.A. County, COVID-19’s transmission rate — the average number of people each infected person infects — has been climbing since late May, when the economy began to reopen.
Since the virus has a two-week incubation period, it’s still too early to tell what effect recent racial justice protests will have on its spread locally. But as demonstrating and reopening continue, officials urge Angelenos to keep up social distancing and wear masks around people they don’t live with.
Ferrer said anyone who’s been within 6 feet of someone from outside their household for more than 15 minutes should take extra caution around people who are older and immunocompromised. You should get tested if you’ve been exposed to someone who’s positive or likely positive, but if you get tested too soon the virus may not be detected, she warned.
Anyone who’s worried about possible exposure should self-quarantine for 14 days.
The county still prioritizes testing for essential workers, nursing home residents and people with symptoms. But anyone can get tested for free at the sites run by the city of L.A. Visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing for a full list of testing locations and for appointments.
Officials say the best protection against COVID-19 is still frequent hand-washing and physical distancing.