Data shows coronavirus ravaging poorer L.A. County communities while infection rates slowing in wealthier areas

Maria Banderas, left, answers questions from medical assistant Dolores Becerra before being tested for the coronavirus at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: May 28, 2020 / 06:57 AM PDT

Updated: May 28, 2020 / 06:57 AM PDT

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A major shift was already underway last month as coronavirus deaths were rising across Los Angeles County and officials were trying desperately to prevent a surge in cases.

In mid-April, while officials urged people to stay home, limit shopping trips and wear masks, infection rates in poor communities for the first time overtook wealthy ones, a Times analysis of county health data shows.

Confirmed cases per capita diverged on April 17 and the gap has kept growing since. The analysis found the virus is increasingly ravaging predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods with higher poverty levels, while wealthier, majority-white enclaves that initially reported some of the highest infection rates see much slower growth.

Infection rates across South and Central Los Angeles and the Eastside have increased sharply and now lead all regions in the county, exceeding 600 infections per 100,000 people, the analysis shows.

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