Coronavirus Is Now The Leading Cause Of Death In LA County

COVID-19 has surpassed coronary heart disease, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the flu as the leading cause of death in Los Angeles County.

The average daily reported number of deaths related to coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, is now 44, public health director Barbara Ferrer said at the county's daily briefing.

Average daily fatalities from the other leading causes of death are:

• 31 die of coronary heart disease
• 8 die from COPD and emphysema
• 5 die from influenza

On Thursday, Ferrer announced 68 more people had died and 1,081 new cases were confirmed, bringing the totals to 797 deaths and 17,508 positive cases.

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Here are some of the other numbers released today:

• 51 of those who died were over 65 — 40 of them with underlying conditions
• 11 of those who died were between 41 and 65 — nine with underlying conditions
• 3 of those who died were between 18 and 40 — two with underlying conditions
• Ferrer said she had no info on the three remaining cases from Long Beach
• 310 of the people who have died so far were in institutional settings, the majority of which were in skilled nursing facilities — that's 39% of all deaths in the county
• 4,053 people have been hospitalized so far, or 23% of all positive cases
• 1,854 people are currently hospitalized — 29% are in intensive care and 19% are on ventilators
• 100 people experiencing homelessness have tested positive, 55 of them in shelters and who are now being isolated
• 286 institutional settings now have at least 1 confirmed case, up by 11 from yesterday — these include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, shelters, treatment centers, supportive living, and correctional facilities
• Of those, 26 skilled nursing facilities report outbreaks with 20 or more positive cases among residents
• In all, there are 3,343 positive cases in institutional settings — 1,196 residents and 1,374 staff members
• 112 confirmed cases in jails to date, including 44 inmates and 68 staff
• 1,643 inmates are in quarantine
• 80 confirmed cases in the state prison, including 64 inmates and 16 staff
• 59 members of the Sheriff's Department have tested positive and 313 staff members are in quarantine
• 98,000 people have so far been tested across LA County, 14% of them confirmed positive

CAN YOUR PET GET SICK?

Citing reports of two pet cats becoming sick with COVID-19 in New York, along with similar reports in Hong Kong and Belgium, Ferrer said infections among pets are "probably fairly rare," but she pointed folks to guidance from the the county health department.

"If you have pets it's always a good idea to wash your hands before and after you've been around any animals. And if you're in isolation because you are positive or presumed positive for COVID-19, or you're in quarantine because you've been a close contact of someone who's positive for COVID-19, avoid touching or being close to pets as much as possible."

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