LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Friday confirmed another 47 deaths due to the coronavirus, boosting the county’s fatality toll to 1,755, and 962 new cases of the virus, lifting the countywide total to 36,259.
To date (May 15), Covid-19 cases and deaths in the Antelope Valley include 543 cases and 11 deaths in Palmdale; 453 cases and eight deaths in Lancaster; 30 cases and seven deaths in Quartz Hill; 26 cases and two deaths in Lake Los Angeles; 29 cases and no deaths in the Littlerock/Pearblossom, Juniper Hills areas; and eight cases and no deaths in Sun Village. View the latest detailed report here.
With more businesses opening and the weather improving, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned against residents gathering with friends and family, but recognized that such gatherings may occur.
“Seeing friends, we’re not recommending that at this point in time,” Ferrer said. “We are recommending that you continue to do your distancing in the ways that we’ve recommended before.
“… We do appreciate that there are circumstances where you may be around some other people, and in those circumstances, … we do recommend you’re at least keeping that six-foot distance and that you’re using a cloth face covering to try to protect other people, and they should do the same to protect you,” she said.
Despite the ever-increasing numbers, Ferrer again stressed that the rate of the virus’ spread has been slowed by the county’s Safer At Home orders mandating social distancing and asking people to remain home as much as possible.
She echoed numbers that were revealed Thursday, showing that on average, people who are infected with the virus are in turn infecting one other person. That’s down from an initial rate of three other people being infected by each patient.
“And that’s only because of all of the work that you’ve done,” Ferrer said. “So I ask you to continue to practice physical distancing, continue to wear your cloth face coverings when you’re among other people, because these actions work. This is your way of keeping other people safe.”
Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s health services director, said that if social-distancing and other restrictions had not been imposed, the coronavirus outbreak would be far worse.
“If everyone across Los Angeles County had not honored the Safer At Home health officer order, then we would be in the midst of a public health disaster the likes of which none of us would like to be experiencing, and that would be difficult to imagine,” she said.
An interactive dashboard is available that provides comprehensive information on COVID-19 cases and deaths, 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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T.G. says
Rex already won another four years so he is free to continue his bizarre statements of shooting the homeless, blaming fake shootings in the mentally ill, and using a COVID tragedy for camera time. We are screwed.
Mathias says
Why don’t you say how many went home and not hospitalized? The hospital says no deaths. Don’t you think you are misleading the people??
AV resident says
I agree with you. The information is so vague and misleading. The numbers are not proportionate either. They say there are 36,259 confirmed cases and 1,755 deaths, so are the other 35,504 recovered? Yet they will say only about 2k something have recovered; what about the other 33k+? This all just seems so weird to me. At least they’re reporting with some positivity now. When I read that this would probably continue until August I panicked. 2 plus months have been enough isolation for me. I’m not much of an outdoors person but knowing the danger will lurk for longer just has me on edge.
Laughing says
Might be a case were recovered means no signs of the virus in post treatment testing.
The rest still carry the virus around with them.
Not to mention the total lack of tracking.
Hospitals in the US diagnose, and send people home if they do not need hospitalization.
There is no follow real follow up.
If someone dies at home, they go to the morgue/funeral home and most people are not tested there either to see what they die of. Just pack and ashed/buried.
This is why numbers around the world are all over the place, very few nations are tracking with 100% accuracy if any at all.
Two nurses, both vote republican, have told me the teen that died did have Covid-19 according to the documentation. Yet he was marked down as not Covid related for death.
AV resident says
The teen that died here in the AV had strep throat; how is that COVID-19 related?
Although I guess it may have been a complication—we’ll never know because this happened in January when most of us were going about business as usual.
T.G. says
Rex used it for face time on television. It was a sad and pathetic look. Again he was wrong or misleading or maybe even lying about an incident. Remember the made up sheriff shooting where he blamed the mentally ill? I don’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
Fooled Again says
Both Mayors in the AV have no credibility and are making their decisions based on the financial impacts only. We are all just a wink and a smile away from re-election so trust is a little thin.