LA County Surpasses 75,000 Cases Of Coronavirus, Nears 3,000 Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles County surpassed 75,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus Tuesday as the death toll from COVID-19 neared 3,000.
The county Department of Public Health reported another 1,337 cases of the virus and 33 deaths, bringing countywide totals to 75,084 cases and 2,959 deaths.
Of the deaths for which the county has ethnic data available, 42% were Latinx, 28% were white, 17% were Asian, 11% were Black and less than 1% were identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
According to county officials, roughly half of coronavirus deaths in the county have occurred among residents of skilled nursing facilities, which previously prompted increased testing for staff and residents.
On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, sent a letter to county Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger to ask for an update on the county's testing program at nursing homes.
"I would like to request an update on the county's outbreak as well as to offer my full assistance in helping address any issues that are preventing the county from safely reopening with adequate testing and other health measures in place," Feinstein wrote.
Officials said a total of 1,288 people were hospitalized due to the virus as of Tuesday with 31% in intensive care units.
As of Tuesday, nearly 841,000 people have been tested for the virus in the county, with about 8% testing positive.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
