LOS ANGELES – COVID-19 continued to put pressure on the Los Angeles County hospital system Tuesday, with the number of patients continuing its upward march as the county confirmed another 2,000-plus cases.
Public health officials warned that the spiking numbers of coronavirus cases could cause the county to run out of hospital beds in the next two to three weeks, and out of intensive care unit beds potentially sooner.
As of Tuesday, the county was reporting 1,783 people in hospitals due to the virus, continuing an upward trend that has seen the number jump by more than 400 over the past month.
The county reported another 2,779 coronavirus cases Tuesday, lifting the countywide total to 103,850. The county also announced another 45 deaths, giving the county an overall death total of 3,371.
To date (June 30), Public Health has identified 1,283 coronavirus cases and 20 deaths in Palmdale; 1,109 cases and 19 deaths in Lancaster; 62 cases and nine deaths in Quartz Hill; 55 cases and two deaths in Lake Los Angeles; 60 cases and no deaths in the Littlerock/Pearblossom, Juniper Hills areas; and 53 cases and no deaths in Sun Village. View the latest detailed report here.
As of Tuesday, about 9% of the more than 1.1 million people tested in the county have tested positive. The increasing short-term positivity rate has been on the rise, raising further concerns in the county about spiking numbers and the possibility of an overwhelmed health system. The seven-day average of the daily positivity rate has increased from 5.8% two weeks ago to 8.4% as of Monday.
Health officials said new statistics indicate that on average, one in every 140 people in Los Angeles County is infected with COVID- 19 and capable of spreading it to others, likely without having any symptoms or even knowing they are carrying the virus. That figure is up dramatically from last week, when the estimate was one in every 400 people.
Some pundits have attributed the rise in overall cases to increases in testing, but county officials said repeatedly in recent days that the metrics clearly demonstrate an increase in community spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Health officials said that cases affecting younger people between 18 and 40 have jumped by 42% over the past two weeks, making that age group the driving factor in the increases.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday ordered all bars closed in Los Angeles County, and he hinted Tuesday that more statewide restrictions could be on tap in an effort to prevent an explosion of virus cases over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. He also said he may announce stepped-up enforcement of the state’s requirement that people wear masks while in public.
Los Angeles County announced Monday that all of its beaches will be closed over the holiday weekend in hopes of preventing large gatherings. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who is embroiled in a continuing budget battle with the Board of Supervisors, suggested Monday his agency might not enforce the beach closure order.
On Tuesday, he wrote on Twitter, “Enforcement efforts will be focused on vehicle & penal code violations, beach parking lot closures & street parking restrictions. (Sheriff’s) beach patrol will be patrolling the county beaches to ensure public safety.”
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Gail says
Government failure on an unprecedented scale, more people now infected in Los Angeles than all Canada, California now ranks the 10th most profoundly infected place, on planet Earth. Hypocrisy, brazen double-standards pandering to BLM vandals, imposition of different laws for different people, caught red-handed playing teacher’s pet with ANTIFA rioters, integrity and credibility of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is now wholly evanesced. Gone berserk, ANTIFA and BLM run amok, California unemployment out-of-control, Coronavirus having spiraled out-of-control, California’s two U.S. Senators in hiding, California is rudderless. The imperative to flee California for our lives, may soon be upon us. God, save our souls.
An Observor from another planet. says
They went from “Ask not what your country can do for you. ” to
“When will the bars, restaurants and nail salons open?”
Abandon all hope. Americans have devolved into the dumbest people on earth. The stats have improved in Europe, South Korea and other places while they are getting worse in the US.
Why? Trump says stupid things and red state governors and Trump followers “follow”. Then things worsen.
Vic says
Rex jsaid on KFI that fireworks kill the Coronavirus.
Who knew?
Now we don’t need a vaccine. Just walk around with a pack of firecrackers, some Roman candles, maybe a few bottle rockets or some M80s and all will be fine.
AV resident says
I will not jump on any political bandwagon. I know this situation is a two-edged sword because we do need the economy to open and people to go back to work and business owners to be able to earn money and make a living. At the same time, we need the infection rate to start dropping instead of rising steadily like it has been these days and of course, we also want people to stop dying from this. I’ve said it since the beginning, if we don’t nip this in the bud and call for a 15 day quarantine where EVERYONE except for police, firefighters, and medical personnel stay home, then this will only continue. People already stripped all stores from Lysol, toilet paper, disinfecting wipes, and sanitizer. In the beginning even the chicken and meat were gone from the freezers. This means those who bought a big supply don’t actually need to be out and about. The way it looks when I go to the grocery store is some people are just going there because they can. Especially now with the P-EBT, parents of school-age children would be able to buy a month’s worth of food and just shelter at home. This would take a tremendous amount of team-work from all of us, but I’m sure it’s doable. Otherwise, this will just continue because people who can’t stop partying, going to the gym, and going to bars will just continue. The problem with it is even people who already had it can become infected again and the cycle continues. I think if businesses can have those paycheck protection loans they were offered, pay your bills and employees for 15 days and just have everyone stay home then no one loses income and feels forced to go out there looking for work. The same goes for people who sell fruits and other stuff out there. We should all collaborate and buy off all their supply so it helps in food storage while helping them be able to quarantine as well. I think the times call for us to work together, make sacrifices together to make a change. If we continue demanding our rights, demanding what we want, it will just continue no matter what the ones that are trying to comply do. Maybe for every 10 people there are 5 of us following the rules, but the other 5 are ruining it for the rest of us. We don’t need to have large gatherings—they can wait. We don’t need to party with others, we can party at home by ourselves. You don’t need to go to bars or gyms—drink and exercise at home! It just takes a 15 day sacrifice on our parts. I know this is doable if we knew this would stop the virus. If we stop moving, the virus stops moving too. It’s better to miss out on what we think we need for a short period of time than to miss out forever because you die or make someone else miss out because they die because of your poor choices. There, I expressed my opinion—no matter how far-fetched or wordy it might seem.
Really says
Use the internet to gather facts. There is a wealth of information to digest and meditate on, then with patient consideration wear your masks, wash your hands frequently, and try not to offend the front line workers that are wearied by people with lousy attitudes, unwilling to let go of their self-centered ways.
Ekara says
Appears as though government has fallen content, happy to allow the virus free rein to run its course, thin the heard.
Sara says
Denote, every individual barking orders on the boob-tube, telling us how they think we ought to be living our coronavirus lives? From Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, to California’s Dr. Barbara Ferrer, not one of them are qualified virologists. They’re public heath administrators, who haven’t been in a lab, since med school, 30 years ago. Not-a-one of these administrators knows beans about virology –
Peggy says
I diligently tune in on every television PSA briefing on coronavirus. Breadth, depth or extent of scholastic expertise in virology woefully unapparent, I sincerely doubt any one of the medical administrators I’m seeing on television, advising us on the coronavirus, could manage suturing an opened wound, much less resetting a dislocated shoulder. I’m left wondering, when’s the last time any of these medical administrators actually got their hands dirty?
Laughing says
Hmmm I wonder is they have qualified virologists reports that they are reading and using to inform their decisions.
I mean that is what most management does, they sit on their butts reading more qualified peoples reports on what is actually happening then make decisions based on that data.
Barbi says
People are dying. What scares me so profoundly, public health administrators ingratiating themselves, lapping up lavish perks from their policy community masters, cherry picking what little they make public.
Wells says
Less than 10o0 people in their vocation, virologists share a small community. They all talk to each other; they all know each other. Insular, parochial, anti-social, little contact with those outside their profession, virologists in Asia, Europe, down under, and in the Americas are far more likely to place their loyalties amongst themselves, than their respective nations, ever-ready to close ranks, help each other avert scrutiny from the policy community. Likelihood looms American and European virologists find themselves more sympathetic to their Chinese counterparts, than their own countrymen, eager to assist in ameliorating embarrassing incidents which might soil the reputation of international virology, invite increased oversight, burdensome government regulation.
Chris N says
According to our governor Newsome today in his press conference, hospitals in CA are NOT stressed and plenty of open beds.
And still no restrictions on protesting.. grrr
Jones says
… you could hear a pin drop, not a peep out of the people at Fort Detrick? You are free to assume the worst –
Cory says
Yes. Very suspicious. By now, surely we would have heard something from those people. I’m betting our virologists at Fort Detrick were muzzled, slapped a gag order, breathe just one little itty-bitty word about coronavirus, they get a free, personal in-home arm-twisting demonstration, by 230 pound military cutouts boasting scholastic expertise in the fine art and science of persuasion.
Laughing says
Cory, are you saying our own government has released this or is allowing this to continue unabated in our country?
MJ says
What worries me, these virologists around the world closing ranks, drip-feeding the public disinformation in the interest of skirting increased regulation. If these virologists came out on the level, that it really is a germ warfare strain? They know, government would come down on them like a ton of bricks.