LA County Sees 40 New Coronavirus Deaths, Highest Single-Day Total

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Forty new coronavirus deaths were reported Tuesday in Los Angeles County — the highest one-day total since the pandemic began — as the number of cases crossed the 10,000-mark.

A face mask is displayed for sale by a street vendor amidst the coronavirus pandemic on April 13, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)

L.A. County health officials reported that there were 670 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the countywide total to 10,047.

At least 360 people have died from the disease, L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer informed reporters. The mortality rate ticked up yet again Tuesday to 3.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent Monday.

Of the 40 new deaths, 25 of the victims were over 65 years of age. Nine were between the ages of 41 and 65.

Ferrer noted that more than 63,000 people have been tested for COVID-19, an increase of about 10,000 from the day before. That spike is due to laboratories playing catch-up in reporting results to the county. About 11 percent of the tests have been positive for the virus.

1,433 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, Ferrer said. Of those 33 percent are in ICU beds and 20 percent are on ventilators. 25 percent of all L.A. County cases have required some form of hospitalization.

Ferrer said there have been 1,596 cases at 199 “institutional settings,” which include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, jails, prisons, homeless shelters, treatment centers and supporting living facilities.

109 residents of institutional settings have died, most of whom lived in skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“We continue to see an alarming increase in the number of cases among residents and staff at our institutional settings,” Ferrer said. “I do want to note that we recognize that staff at these facilities have adequate personal protection equipment.”

There are 64 coronavirus cases in L.A. County jail facilities, including 53 staff and 11 inmates. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department reports that 559 inmates in quarantine and 26 inmates are in isolation.

There are 29 cases in Lancaster State Prison: that consists of 19 inmates and 10 staff.

There are four cases at juvenile facilities, all among staff.

Ferrer weighed in on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s news conference earlier in the day in which he laid out several key indicators which he said must be met before the statewide stay-at-home order could begin to be lifted.

Ferrer listed four specific areas of her own: widespread testing capacity; plans to continue physical distancing; caring for those who are sick and need healthcare; protecting the vulnerable, such as nursing home residents and the homeless.

“We’re not yet on the other side of this pandemic,” Ferrer said.

Like Newsom, she was reluctant to give a potential timeline for reopening the county and state.

“No, I don’t have a timeline or a date,” she said. “Similar to the governor, I think the next couple weeks are critical.”

“When we relax the orders and people are out and about more, we also know there’ll be more cases of COVID-19,” she added. “And we need to have a strategy to make sure we don’t see a steep acceleration that will overwhelm our county.”