LA County Nursing Homes, Other Facilities Investigated For Reported Coronavirus Outbreaks
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Far more people in Los Angeles County are more likely infected with COVID-19 than the nearly 2,500 cases that have been confirmed countywide, officials said Monday.
Seven new deaths pushed the county's total to 44, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, head of the Department of Public Health.
Of those deaths, all but one were aged 65 or older, while the other was between the ages of 41 and 65, Ferrer said. Six of the seven people had underlying health conditions, including the younger patient.
The county is seeing a roughly 1.8% mortality rate, meaning that of everyone who has tested positive for coronavirus in the county, 1.8% have died - slightly higher than New York, which has a 1.4% mortality rate.
"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, so the true number of people infected in L.A. County is likely to be significantly higher," Ferrer said.
Health officials are investigating 25 nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and other facilities that have coronavirus cases. She said there have been six deaths at such facilities so far.
Eleven institutions are now being investigated for centralized outbreaks with three or more cases each,
"Be prepared for this to go on for a while to come," she added.
The news came as Gov. Gavin Newsom called on retired health care workers and medical students about to graduate to begin working on the front lines.
