Coronavirus: 50 Additional Cases Confirmed In LA County
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles County health officials have reported 50 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday raising the total to 144.
The announcement comes one day after the Los Angeles County Health Officer issued an order prohibiting all indoor and outdoor, public and private events with 50 or more members through at least through March 31.
"We want to remind everyone that we anticipated we would see new cases, and we continue to see new cases as we increase our capacity to test," said L.A. Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
Ferrer said Tuesday it can be expected to see a dramatic increase in COVID-19 testing.
"This is good news for all of us. We desperately needed to be able to increase our lab capacity" Ferrer said. "Our commercial labs have completed testing for about 900 people."
"We are all headed for many, many more cases. I would never give you information that wasn't as accurate as what I know."
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Public Health has advised that during this time, people follow the following guidelines:
- Avoid non-essential travel, public gatherings, and places where large groups of people congregate.
- Event organizers postpone or cancel non-essential gatherings of 50 or more until at least the end of March.
- Limit gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (people older than 65, pregnant women, and those with chronic illness) to no more than 10 people.
Those who are mildly sick with a fever were told to stay home and call your doctor if you are concerned and/or your symptoms worsen. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or pregnant should consider contacting their providers earlier when they are sick.
"It's been three to four weeks before you continue to see dramatic increases," Ferrer said. "We track what's happening, not only in Italy but also in Germany, which is a few days behind the curve we are seeing in Italy, to really better understand what we might see in the United States and be prepared for that."
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On Sunday, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that Los Angeles bars, clubs, dine-in restaurants, gyms and theaters would need to temporarily close starting at midnight.
Following the order, restaurants across the Southland began closing their dining rooms and offering take-out and delivery options.
The public health department also released a list breaking down the 144 coronavirus cases by city and neighborhood. Here they are:
- Pasadena -- 2
- Long Beach -- 5
- Alhambra -- 1
- Altadena -- 1
- Arcadia -- 1
- Baldwin Hills --1
- Beverly Hills -- 1
- Boyle Heights -- 5
- Brentwood --1
- Carson -- 1
- Culver City -- 2
- Diamond Bar -- 2
- Eagle Rock --1
- Encino-- 5
- Gardena-- 1
- Glendale -- 3
- Granada Hills -- 3
- Hollywood --1
- Hollywood Hills --2
- Inglewood -- 1
- Koreatown --1
- La Mirada -- 3
- Lynwood -- 1
- Manhattan Beach -- 4
- Mar Vista -- 1
- Melrose-- 9
- Monterey Park -- 1
- North Hollywood --1
- Northridge-- 1
- Reseda -- 1
- San Dimas -- 1
- San Pedro -- 1
- Santa Clarita -- 2
- Santa Monica -- 1
- Sherman Oaks -- 2
- Silverlake-- 1
- South Pasadena -- 1
- Tarzana -- 5
- Torrance -- 1
- Venice -- 2
- West Adams -- 1
- West Hills -- 3
- West Hollywood -- 8
- West Vernon --1
- Westchester-- 2
- Woodland Hills --2
- Other City in Los Angeles County (City <25000) -- 9
- Los Angeles City (Neighborhood <25,000) -- 18
- Still Investigating -- 19
