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View Winners → L.A. County Sees Nearly 2K COVID-19 Deaths in One Week
Arcadia Weekly Jan 15, 2021
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Daily deaths from mid-November to Jan. 13. 2021. | Graph courtesy of L.A. County Public Health
Los Angeles County has tragically experienced nearly 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in just a week and marked another grim milestone of recording more than 13,000 total COVID-19 deaths.
Thursday, Public Health confirmed 287 new deaths and 17,323 new cases of COVID-19. According to new modeling data, about one in 115 Los Angeles County residents are currently infectious to others. Furthermore, approximately 1 in 3 persons in Los Angeles County has been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
There are 7,906 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 21% of these people are in the ICU. The county has gone from under 800 people hospitalized with COVID-19 two months ago to slightly under 8,000 patients. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 must significantly decrease in order to relieve overwhelmed hospitals and healthcare workers in the county.
Public Health reports three additional deaths among pregnant women positive with COVID-19. As of Jan. 11, there have been a total of eight deaths among the 5,009 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19. Seventy-nine percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 9% are White, 4% are African American/Black, 4% are Asian, less than 1% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 2% identify with another race, and race/ethnicity was unknown or unspecified for 2%. Among the 2,493 births where there was testing information, 37 babies tested positive for the virus.
Pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and death. Public Health urges expecting and new moms to take extra care and remain home as much as possible to avoid exposure to COVID-19. If you are sick or positive for COVID-19 and breastfeeding, wear a mask while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, and be sure to wash your hands before touching the baby or any pump or bottle before using. If possible, ask someone else to feed the baby your breastmilk by bottle. Public Health has detailed guidance for expecting and new moms available online.
Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, January 19, from 6–7:30 p.m. Join the town hall to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it was developed, where it will be distributed, and when it will be made available to the general public. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: tinyurl.com/askcovidtownhall.
