LA County Reports 2,885 New Coronavirus Cases, 62 Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 2,885 newly confirmed coronavirus cases Friday and an additional 62 fatalities, bringing countywide totals to 150,319 cases and 4,047 deaths.
The news comes as health officials said they were continuing to monitor for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, also called MIS-C, affecting children who might have been exposed to, or diagnosed with, COVID-19.
"We know that more than 10,000 children and teens have been infected with COVID-19," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said in a statement. "Those who are affected with MIS-C are rare, but we are monitoring for this devastating condition."
County officials said, to date, there have been 15 identified cases in L.A. County, 40% of which were identified in children under the age of 5, 40% in children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old and 20% in children between the ages of 13 and 20. None of the children with the condition have died.
MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
According to the health department, 73% of cases were reported in Latinx children.
"I also want to warn parents that even though our children and teens may not show the same symptoms and illness of COVID-19 when compared to older people, they can spread COVID-19 like anyone else and should wear face coverings if they are two years old and older and they should continue to practice physical distancing and avoid gathering with people outside of their household," Ferrer said.
As of Friday, 2,122 confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, 26% of whom were being treated in intensive care units and 18% currently on ventilators.
With test results available for more than 1.46 million people, the county's positivity rate continued to hold steady at 9%.
Also on Friday, a new health officer order was issued to adhere to Gov. Gavin Newsom's earlier announcement that students in counties on the watch list — including L.A. County — would not be allowed to return to the classroom this fall.
More information about the county's latest data and public health orders, can be found online.
