Los Angeles–The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 18 new deaths and 440 new cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Thirteen people who died were over the age of 65; four people who died were between the ages of 41 to 65 years old, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 to 40 years old. Fifteen people had underlying health conditions including 13 people over the age of 65 and two people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old.
To date, Public Health has identified 19,528 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County, and a total of 913 deaths. Ninety-three percent of people who died had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 837 people (98 percent of the cases); 37% of deaths occurred among Latinx residents, 28% among White residents, 18% among Asian residents, 14% among African American residents, 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.
African Americans continue to have the highest rate of death for COVID-19 when compared to other groups at 13 deaths per 100,000 people. The mortality rate for Latinx is 9.5; for Asians, the rate is 7.5; and for Whites, the rate is 5.5.
Individuals living in lower-income communities are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than individuals living in wealthier communities, with the death rate of 16.5 deaths per 100,000 people in communities where 30% to 100% of residents are living in poverty compared to the death rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people in communities where less than 10% of residents are living in poverty.
Upon further investigation, 19 cases reported earlier were not LA County residents. As of today, 4,380 people who tested positive for COVID-19 (23% of positive cases) have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for over 117,000 individuals and 14% of people testing positive.
