Coronavirus is on track to becoming the second leading cause of death in Los Angeles County, health officials said Wednesday.
The Department of Public Health reported another 64 deaths and 3,266 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 164,870, with 4,213 deaths due to the virus. The virus has killed more patients than any other illness except coronary heart disease during the first six months of this year, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
“This week, I believe, can be a critical turning point in determining whether our collective efforts are beginning to take us in a better direction,” Ferrer said. “The stakes are really high.”
Hospitalizations of coronavirus patients remain at troubling levels, with 2,207 people currently hospitalized — marking the fourth day in a row they have exceeded 2,200, officials said.
The number of hospitalizations has increased significantly since last month, reaching an all-time high of 2,232 people being treated Monday. And the largest increase in hospitalizations has been among children.
The number of hospitalized patients age 17 and under rose by 50% from June 14-18 to July 14-18, according to the Department of Public Health. Hospitalizations of people between 18 and 40 years old increased by 29.7% since mid-June while that figure is 33.5% for people age 41 to 64 and 12.8% for those over 65.
Still, with the exception of those who have underlying health conditions, the oldest patients remain the mostly likely to die from the virus, according to health officials. No children have died of the virus, Ferrer said.
“Young adults are driving the high rates of new infections, but… older adults are the ones who are dying,” Ferrer said, citing higher infection rates among younger adults in recent weeks.
“This is very serious and very real,” Ferrer said. “Please think about those you love, and those that others of us love before you disregard our public health directives.”
“Avoid gathering with people you don’t live with,” she said. “If we continue to gather for barbecues, pool parties, dinners and other events, it’s very hard to slow the virus.”