The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, increased in L.A. County by 138, L.A. County officials said Tuesday, bringing the county's total to 799.
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the head of the county's health department also said that there had been three additional deaths in the county, with all 3 individuals who died were over 65 and had underlying health conditions.
Fully 80% of the cases in L.A. County are found in people aged 18 and 65, with 40% of those cases occurring to those between the age of 18 and 40.
Over 6,300 people in L.A. County have been tested, with 11% of those testing positive. County officials said that as testing capacity increases, the number of cases is expected to rise.
Twenty percent of all positive cases have needed hospitalization at one point.
County officials also announced today that the County Emergency Operations Center was working to fulfill an increased number of resource requests for homeless shelters including; 14,000 cot covers, 18,000 blankets, and 98,000 towels. County officials said they were also working to assign Medical Sheltering sites, where they can provide transportation, food, laundry services and security services. They have a goal of having at least 2,000 beds available for the quarantine or isolation of those who test positive for COVID-19.
No cases have been identified in the homeless community.
On Tuesday, the county announced the first death of a minor. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris told the L.A. Times that the patient was a teenage boy who died of septic shock. The boy's father has also tested positive for COVID-19. However, a followup release from the Department of Public Health cast a bit of doubt on whether the teen died from the coronavirus saying that the boy's death required "further evaluation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
The death toll has been updated to not include the boy's death as it is still under investigation.
The number of confirmed cases around the Southland include:
- Los Angeles County: 799 - 13 deaths
- Orange County: 152 - 1 death
- Riverside County: 70 - 6 deaths
- Ventura County: 39 - 1 death
- San Bernardino County: 38 - 1 death
- San Diego County: 238 - 2 deaths.
Statewide, there are more than 2,600 casts with at least 58 deaths reported.