LOS ANGELES – While protests against police brutality continued to dominate headlines, Los Angeles County reported 46 more deaths Wednesday due to the coronavirus and 1,155 new cases.
To date (June 3), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has identified 58,234 positive cases of COVID-19 and 2,489 deaths across all areas of LA County, including 783 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths in Palmdale; 641 cases and 12 deaths in Lancaster; 46 cases and nine deaths in Quartz Hill; 33 cases and two deaths in Lake Los Angeles; 36 cases and no deaths in the Littlerock/Pearblossom, Juniper Hills areas; and 20 cases and no deaths in Sun Village. View the latest detailed report here.
As of Wednesday, June 3, 92% of the people who have died from the coronavirus in the county had underlying health conditions. That percentage has remained largely unchanged for weeks.
For the 2,301 fatalities for which ethnic information was available, 41% were Latinx, 28% were white, 17% were Asian, 12% were black and 1% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
Also as of Wednesday, 1,422 were hospitalized for treatment of COVID- 19, and 26% of those people were in intensive-care units. Since the pandemic began, 11% of people who have tested positive for the illness have required hospitalization at some point.
Health officials and elected office-holders in Los Angeles County have expressed fear that crowded demonstrations stemming from the death of unarmed and unresisting George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody could serve as “super spreader” events and lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.
County officials urged people attending such demonstrations to wear face coverings and maintain distance from others whenever possible.
Many protesters seemed to be heeding the advice about wearing masks, but even peaceful crowds seen in videos were failing to maintain social distancing. Police officers forming lines to contain protesters also seem to be closer than six feet apart.
Any surge related to protests probably won’t show up in the data until three or four weeks from now, given a 14-day incubation period for the coronavirus, health officials said.
Numbers may also increase as state and county authorities allow more businesses to reopen, including dine-in restaurants and personal care businesses such as salons and barbershops. Those enterprises are allowed to reopen as soon as they can implement the required protocols for social distancing and infection control. Higher-risk businesses, such as bars and wineries without sit-down meals, must still remain closed.
An interactive dashboard is available that provides comprehensive information on COVID-19 cases, along with maps and graphs showing data by city and community. To view Public Health’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, visit: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/
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