The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health confirmed 53 new deaths reported as of today, May 27. This brings the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 to 2,195.
There were 933 new positive cases of COVID-19 bringing the total to 48,700 cases across all areas of LA County. This total of positive cases includes 952 cases reported in the City of Glendale, 50 in La Cañada Flintridge, 170 in Eagle Rock, 10 in Shadow Hills, 144 in Sunland and 116 in Tujunga. In the unincorporated areas of LA County, Altadena reported 143 cases and La Crescenta/Montrose reported 29 cases.
Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County with testing results available for over 517,000 individuals; 8% of people test positive. Public Health continues tracking the numbers of positive cases and deaths among health care workers related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Public Health has confirmed 30 people who died from COVID-19 worked in a health care setting; 22 people who died worked in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, four people worked in hospitals, one person worked in a correctional facility, and one person worked in an outpatient facility. For one health care worker who died, their workplace setting is not specified.
A total of 4,861 confirmed cases of COVID-19 occurred among health care workers and first responders; this is an additional 563 new cases reported since the previous week. Six percent of health care workers with COVID-19 have been hospitalized. Forty-six percent of cases are among nurses, though cases have been identified among a range of occupational roles, including caregivers, people who work in administration, physicians and medical assistants. Fifty-nine percent of these cases reported a known source of exposure, and 80% of healthcare workers with known exposure reported being exposed in a health care facility. Health care workers who are positive worked at 26 different occupational settings, with the vast majority of cases among health care workers from skilled nursing facilities and hospitals.
“For all of you who have lost someone you love to COVID-19, we are so sorry. Through this sad and difficult time, we keep you in our thoughts and prayers every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of Public Health. “The new Health Officer Order allows more sectors to reopen, adhering to strict distancing and infection control directives. Since none of us wants the recovery to lead to many more deaths, we need to do our part to take care of each other. This means being diligent about physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings whenever you are around people who are not from your household. These are our essential tools and we need to commit to always using them.”
The new Health Officer Order, issued yesterday called Safer at Work and in the Community, allows for the reopening of houses of worship, office worksites, in-store shopping at retail establishments including indoor malls and shopping centers, flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters. Houses of worship can operate at 25% capacity or with a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower, and retail establishments can operate at 50% capacity. Pools, hot tubs and saunas that are in a multi-unit residence or part of a homeowners’ association can also open. Political protests with limited numbers of participants are also allowed. This Order aligns the County with the state’s orders. Everyone must continue to follow distancing and infection control protocols and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both their nose and mouth when in contact with other people not in their household. Public and private gatherings of any number of people outside of a single household unit are still not permitted except for public protests and faith-bases services as described in the Order. The Health Officer Order continues to require specific higher-risk businesses to remain closed and prohibits dining in at restaurants. Restaurants are still allowed to serve food to customers via delivery, take-out or drive-thru.
As the recovery journey continues, more people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, more cases, and more hospitalizations and deaths. Because there is a 14-day incubation period for COVID-19, the actions everyone takes today will impact where numbers are in two or three weeks. The best protection against COVID-19 continues to be to washing hands frequently, avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolating if sick, practicing physical distancing, and wearing a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside their household. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.