L.A. County Coronavirus Surge Continues With 3,061 New Cases

Los Angeles County reported 3,061 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths today, Nov. 15, bringing the county’s totals to 339,560 cases and 7,269 fatalities.

“Many younger people are out socializing with non-household members, raising concerns that asymptomatic young people are helping to spread the virus to more vulnerable people at a time when cases are surging dangerously in the county,” said LA. CountyPublic Health Director Barbara Ferrer. 

“While the effect of the coronavirus on younger people may not be significantly associated with deaths, younger people definitely act as a transmission connector to individuals at a higher risk. Spread among family members and at worksites will also increase considerably as we see more and more cases among our younger residents,” Ferrer continued. 

The high number of cases is a continuing concern, coming a day after the county reported 3,780 new cases for the highest number of positive cases in one day, not associated with a backlog, since mid-July.

The number of L.A. County residents hospitalized with the virus surpassed 1,000 on Sunday for the first time in months, jumping from 966 on Saturday to 1,014, with 27 percent in intensive care units.

The department said last week that the elevated number of cases in recent days reflects increased testing across the county. Nearly 3,386,000 individuals have been tested as of Sunday, with 9 percent of all people testing positive.

Younger people continue to drive the increase in community

transmission in the county, with more than 74 percent of Saturday’s new cases coming from people under the age of 50. Conversely, 90 percent of Saturday’s 20 reported deaths were over 50 years old.

Los Angeles County remains mired in the most restrictive purple tier of California’s color-coded four-tier coronavirus monitoring system, placing severe limits on businesses and public gatherings. Based on the surge in cases in recent weeks, the county will be staying in that purple tier indefinitely.

The rise in cases complicates planning for increasing the numbers of students returning to schools, further re-opening additional business sectors and permitting additional activities.

The state on Friday issued a travel advisory urging residents to avoid non-essential travel. It also recommends that people traveling into California — whether they are visitors or returning residents — from another state or country to self-quarantine for 14 days. Los Angeles County health officials have a similar recommendation on the books, urging residents to travel out of state to quarantine upon their return.