Coronavirus In L.A. County: Seven More Deaths & 342 New Cases Confirmed In Past 24 Hours – Update

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2ND UPDATE, 1:18 PM: Seven more people have died of coronavirus in Los Angeles County in the past 24 hours, local health officials said during their daily update Monday, bringing the total to 44.

There were 342 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the region on Monday and 686 in the past 48 hours.

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Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health director, said the total number of confirmed cases of the disease in L.A. County has reached 2,474. She said 80% of those are people in the 18-65 age group, which “has been consistent from the beginning,” she said.

“At this point in time, although our numbers continually rise, we do have to assume that there are other people that are infected who haven’t yet been tested,” Ferrer said. “So the true number of people infected in L.A. County is likely to be significantly higher. … These are extraordinary times, and we need to be prepared for this to go on for some time to come.”

Meanwhile, a new model released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects that COVID-19 cases will peak by April 26. Read the study here.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed 332 additional cases of COVID-19 and five new deaths from coronavirus. Five of the six deaths reported yesterday occurred in people over the age of 60, and one death was reported for an individual between 50 to 60 years old. Of the deaths, two of did not have underlying health conditions. In the last 48 hours, there have been 676 new cases, bringing a total of 2,136 cases in L.A. County and 37 deaths.

PREVIOUS: Los Angeles County officials announced Saturday that six more people died from coronavirus overnight, bringing the county’s virus-related death toll to 32.

“We are sad to announce six additional deaths from COVID-19 today,”said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health director. “More than ever, it is crucial that we practice social distancing, and if we are sick, even with mild illness, we make every effort to self-isolate from others for at least seven days. Those who have been in close contact with a person who is positive for COVID-19 should self-quarantine for 14 days.”

A total of 1804 cases have now been reported, according to the county’s Department of Public Health.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference this afternoon that the state is rushing to get more ventilators to hospitals, amid a nationwide shortage.

“It’s one thing to procure new equipment. It’s another to refurbish old equipment, and the challenge for all of us across this nation is to do so with a sense of urgency,” Newsom said.

The governor made his comments in Sunnyvale, while touring a Bloom Energy warehouse. In the last few days, the company agreed to shift its operations and start refurbishing old ventilators from the state’s emergency stockpile.

Newsom said state workers recently dusted off 514 ventilators that hadn’t been “looked at or un-boxed since 2011.”

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