Coronavirus deaths in LA County continue steady increase; 793 confirmed cases in Palmdale to date, 655 in Lancaster

LOS ANGELES – Coronavirus deaths continued to steadily increase in Los Angeles County Thursday, with health officials announcing another 44 fatalities and 1,469 new cases.

To date (June 4), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has identified 59,650 positive cases of COVID-19 and 2,531 deaths across all areas of LA County, including 793 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths in Palmdale; 655 cases and 12 deaths in Lancaster; 46 cases and nine deaths in Quartz Hill; 32 cases and two deaths in Lake Los Angeles; 38 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 Thursday, 93% 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 2,341 fatalities for whom ethnic information was available, 41% were Latinx, 28% were white, 18% were Asian, 12% were black and 1% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

Also as of Thursday, 1,457 were hospitalized for treatment of COVID- 19, and 30% 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.

As they have throughout the week, county health officials urged people taking part in continuing protests to wear face coverings and try to maintain social distancing of six feet from others.

“If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19 while out and in large crowds, because you were in close contact for at least 15 minutes with people who were not wearing face coverings, please remember that the virus has a long incubation period and it will be important to remain away from others as much as possible for 14 days,” public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Testing negative for COVID-19 right after you’ve been exposed does not mean you can’t become infected later during the incubation period, so please stay away from others for 14 days after possible exposure.

“Should you develop symptoms within 14 days of exposure, please contact your healthcare provider to connect to care and testing,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer also urged people who may have spent time in large crowds with people not wearing face coverings to take steps to avoid potentially infecting vulnerable people at home. In those instances, the county urged residents living with people who are elderly or have underlying health conditions to wear face coverings at home and maintain a six-foot distance. Those people were also urged to “avoid preparing food for others, sharing utensils, bedding and towels, and increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces.”

County officials have acknowledged the possibility of more coronavirus cases arising as additional businesses reopen, such as 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 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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