The number of new coronavirus cases topped 2,000 again in Los Angeles County on Saturday, July 18, as the now weeks-old surge in the disease’s spread refused to relent, Public Health officials said.
A day after surpassing the grim milestone of 4,000 deaths, deadliest among California’s counties and among the worst in the nation, the LA County Department of Public Health announced 37 new COVID-19 related fatalities on Saturday, bringing the total to 4,084.
Since the pandemic began, the county has posted 153,041 positive cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, including 2,770 added on Saturday.
“For the families that are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we grieve with you and you are in my thoughts,” said Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer in a statement. “We continue to see concerning data, including data that shows us that younger people are contributing to the increased spread of COVID-19.”
Public Health logged 2,188 people hospitalized Saturday, with 28% of these patients getting treatment in intensive-care units and 18% on ventilators.
The county’s trendline continues to reflect more people between the ages of 18 and 40 requiring hospitalization. More than 11,000 children and teens have been infected, the county’s statement said.
The mid-day report did not include updated figures for Long Beach and Pasadena, which operate their own health departments. As of 4 p.m., Long Beach has not posted new numbers on Saturday. Pasadena reported 27 new cases, for a total of 1,670, but did not add to its total of 101 deaths.
Among the people whose deaths were reported Saturday:
- 25 were older than 65;
- Nine were between the ages of 41 and 65; and
- Two were 18 and 40.
Thirty-one people who passed away reported underlying health conditions.
Officials continued to urge the public to stay home and avoid unnecessary public contact — especially on a weekend that featured gorgeous, sunny, clear-skied weather.
The county’s statement urged residents to avoid “the Three Cs”:
- Crowded places;
- Confined spaces; and
- Close contact with peoples who live outside your home.
“Although this is another beautiful weekend in Los Angeles County, I urge our residents to wear their face coverings and keep away from crowds and people they don’t live with,” Ferrer’s statement said. “The governor has made it clear that until we reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in LA County, it is too dangerous for our schools to re-open for in-person classroom instruction. Let’s get back to working together to slow the spread and continue our recovery journey.”
With just a month before classes were set to begin in many cases throughout the county offering a hybrid option — part distance, part in-person instruction — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered that K-12 campuses in Los Angeles and 31 other counties currently on the state’s monitoring list remain closed in the fall. Orange, San Diego, Ventura and Riverside counties are also on that list.
For districts to reopen campuses, their county must be off the monitoring list for at least two weeks. And once campuses do reopen, they can be closed again with continued outbreaks, details of which were spelled out in the governor’s announcement. Schools lined up on Friday to confirm they would comply with the guidelines.
On Saturday, LA’s archdiocese announced that its Catholic schools throughout Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will open the school year with distance learning amid the new state requirements, too.
“Though our return to our beloved campuses will be delayed for now, we will return,” Paul Escala, senior director and superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese, wrote in a letter to school families, educators and pastors. “Until then, our schools will open at a distance and our community will once again rise to the occasion.”
The archdiocese statement praised staffs at parochial schools for steps taken to prepare for the fall semester. “We are so proud of their incredible efforts in planning for both in-person and distance, while simultaneously focusing on making campuses safe for students and staff,” he said. “Though the circumstances may not afford us the opportunity to start the school year in-person, our preparation efforts will pay-off when we are able to safely return to campuses.”
The state’s school reopening protocols and other LA County coronavirus information are posted on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
City News Service contributed to this report
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