As of Wednesday, 3,518 people were infected and 11 people had already lost their lives.
The union representing the nurses asked the federal government for more masks and gloves to fight the pandemic in LA. Photo-TW-LACounty.
Photo:
TW- LACounty / Courtesy
Los Angeles County authorities reported Wednesday that the official death toll from the coronavirus is 65, with 11 deaths between Monday noon and Tuesday noon.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health director Barbara Ferrer said nine of the people reported killed Wednesday were over 65, and seven had other health conditions.
The other two deaths occurred, among people who were younger, one between 18 and 40 years old, and the other person was between 41 and 65 years old and both had other health problems.
"Our COVID-19 mortality rate remains at 1.8%," said Ferrer. "88% of the people who tested positive and died had underlying health conditions."
Additionally, Ferrer reported 513 additional new cases of the coronavirus, increasing the cases, until Wednesday afternoon, to 3,518.
"These cases include 133 cases reported by our partners in the city of Long Beach and 33 cases reported by the city of Pasadena," added Ferrer. "We also confirm today [Wednesday] that we now have five cases of homeless people who are positive with COVID-19."
The director added that, to date, 733 people have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, which represents 21% of all positive cases.
"Today there are 341 people hospitalized for the disease," he said at noon on Wednesday. “210 people are 55 years old or older, and 141 people are over 65 years old; while 76% of people who are hospitalized have no documented underlying health conditions. ”
There are people infected without knowing it
Ferrer said that every day everyone learns something new from the virus and knows who is most vulnerable, but there are also people who may be infected with COVID-19 and not know it.
"People may not have any symptoms, and for some of these people there is also evidence that they can transmit the infection, as they do not feel sick, or think they are not sick," said Ferrer. "They do not have symptoms of respiratory disease, but when they do the test they end up being positive, and it ends up being that they have also been transmitting, despite being asymptomatic for other people."
For this reason, the director asked that even those who feel in good health, or if they are surrounded by people who feel good, could be infected.
"So, more than ever, we ask that you adhere to the principle of taking universal precautions, because we must assume, even if we feel good that we could be infected, and could infect others," said the director.
Staying home and maintaining social distance are the most important tools to avoid contagion from the masses.
Additionally, Ferrer said that it is important that we all take responsibility as if we were infected since if we are positive to COVID-19 we must inform all our acquaintances with whom we were in contact the last 48 hours.
"Now we don't just have to remember who I was with the day I started feeling bad," said Ferrer. "Now we have to remember who I was with for two days before I started feeling sick and I have to contact all those people, if I was in close contact with them and let them know that they need to be quarantined for up to 14 days" .
