8 New Coronavirus Cases In LA County, Total Now 40

Eight new cases of coronavirus have been identified in Los Angeles County, bringing the countywide total including Long Beach and Pasadena to 40.

One patient had traveled recently to South Korea, three are likely cases of community transmission -- meaning the source of their infection is unknown -- and four cases are still under investigation. Two of the patients are hospitalized.

The new information was shared by L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer in her daily update on COVID-19.

Here are some of the other key takeaways:

• There are now a total of six likely cases of community transmission in the county.
• The current protocol calls for testing people for COVID-19 only if they are seriously ill. Of the roughly 110 tests the county has run at its lab, about 25% have come back positive. Only about 4% of the roughly 120 tests run at commercial labs have been positive, and about 11% of the 27 tests run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have come back positive.
• On Monday the county plans to issue information on the ages and geographic locations of the coronavirus patients.
• The county’s Office of Emergency Management is still working on finding facilities that can house two types of people who have COVID-19: travelers who have no place to stay, and the homeless. For a location to be adequate, people will need to have their own room and private access to a bathroom.

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