Los Angeles County health officials reported another novel coronavirus-related death and 71 new cases Sunday, bringing the total up to 409 in the nation’s most populous county.
The person who died was a Culver City resident older than 65 years old who had underlying health conditions, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a news release.
Officials said 132 coronavirus cases were confirmed in just the last 48 hours. L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer has said that more cases will be reported as the county expands its testing capability with more equipments and laboratories.
Five people have died because of the respiratory illness and 84 were hospitalized as of Sunday in L.A. County. The county’s deaths involve one person in his 30s and four over 60, including a woman who was not a resident.
The department reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, one in L.A.’s Miracle Mile neighborhood and the other in Del Rey.
“Because there are positive cases across the entire County, the public should not think one location is safer than the other,” the news release .
The department said it is isolating all the new patients and will contact everyone who had close contact with them and monitor them for signs of the respiratory illness.
A list of all L.A. County cities and areas with coronavirus cases reported as of Sunday could be found here.
Stronger ‘stay-at-home’ orders
L.A. County Public Health issued an enhanced “stay-at-home” order Saturday, strengthening bans on gatherings and events to comply with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide order.
The updated order prohibits golf courses and personal grooming services like hair and nail salons, which are now deemed nonessential. It also orders indoor malls and flea markets to close and bans drive-in movie theaters.
And whereas the previous oder only instructed nonessential retailers to close, the new one tells all businesses to cease in-person operations.
The county’s order now largely matches L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s order, only differing on which marijuana dispensaries can stay open.
“It is critical that everyone practices social distancing, obey the Safer at Home Health Officer Order and assume that anyone can have COVID-19, and anyone could unintentionally infect others,” Ferrer said in a written statement.
Coronavirus had killed at least 27 people and infected another 1,468 across the state as of Saturday, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Most of the COVID-19 patients in the state — 1,066 cases —are between the ages of 18 to 64 years old.
