Los Angeles County reports 1,177 new COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday reported 1,177 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 more related deaths.

The report brings the county’s total number of cases to 253,176 and deaths to 6,197, officials said. The new data includes three new deaths each in Long Beach and Pasadena.

Among the new cases, 71% were people younger than 50, according to the Public Health Department. Those ages 30 to 49 accounted for 35% of the total, the most of any age group.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer called for the young to be more vigilant.

“We need the help of our younger county residents to slow the spread even more than we are doing now, so that we can move into lower tiers that allow for the reopening of more business sectors and schools,” Ferrer said. “This means this is not the time for nonessential activities and social gatherings, but a time for distancing and avoiding close contact with people you don’t live with.”

Health officials urged all residents to minimize nonessential activities such as dining out. They pointed to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that on-site dining and drinking outside the home are among the riskiest activities for COVID-19 transmission.

Of the 29 people whose deaths were reported Saturday, nine were older than 80, eight were between 65 and 79, three were between 50 and 64, two were between 30 and 49, and one was between 18 and 29. Nineteen had underlying health conditions, including six who were older than 80.

Of all county COVID-19 deaths for whom information about race and ethnicity is available, 51% were Latino, 23% white, 15% Asian, 10% Black and fewer than 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

The Public Health Department reported 877 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday, a third of them in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 2.44 million individuals, with 10% testing positive.

Information on reopening protocols and safety measures is on the Public Health Department’s website.

The department also announced Saturday that due to unhealthy air caused by the region’s fires, some L.A. County COVID-19 testing sites will be closed through the weekend.

Testing was suspended Saturday at East L.A. College (Monterey Park), Pomona Fairplex Gate 17, San Gabriel Valley Airport (El Monte) and Montebello Civic Center. Those sites, as well as College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita), will remain closed Sunday.

Notification was being sent to residents who had appointments at those sites to reschedule. Same-day and next-day appointments are still available at testing sites across L.A. County.