Three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Los Angeles County on Thursday, including two cases suspected of being community transmitted, health officials said.
The new cases bring the total number of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County to 32, including one in Pasadena and four in Long Beach, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, reported at a news conference.
Two out of the new three cases have an “unidentified source of exposure,” which Ferrer said is “more evidence of community transmission.” The third case is a person exposed by a close contact who tested positive for coronavirus after attending a conference in Washington, D.C.
“People who are identified as positive for COVID-19 are isolated immediately and their close contacts are being quarantined,” Ferrer added.
One of the three patients is currently hospitalized.
UCLA will have the capacity to test hospital patients, and county public health and commercial labs are also available for coronavirus testing.
Results usually take 1-2 days, Ferrer said, adding that all labs are required to report positive cases of the coronavirus to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for public notification.
County health officials urge the public to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously and encourage everyone to help by adhering to daily instructions, being mindful of others with underlying illnesses and implementing social distancing.
“Even if your risk is relatively low for serious illness, if you are exposed and infected you can in fact infect another person who is at a much higher risk of illness,” Ferrer said. “We are one big family around this globe right now. If nothing else has made it clearer, this virus has.”