Report from LA (7/22/20)
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/
Our new Covid 19 cases are up; our testing is up; our positivity rate is slightly down; our hospitalization rates are up; our death rates are down, but they are four times as high in low income neighborhoods as they are in high income neighborhoods.
In our county of 10 million, we had 2741 new cases yesterday and 162,000 in total. 57% of new cases are in the 18-40 age group, which make up 35% of the county’s population.
The testing rates over the last week are way up to over 21,000 daily, but you cannot get tests from the city or county unless you have symptoms or are an essential worker. The positivity rate has fallen somewhat to 8.5% -- still way above the 5% rate in May.
Our hospitalizations are up to 2,200 (14% increase in a week) as contrasted with 1500 and less in May. We still have plenty of ICU and ventilator and hospital bed capacity and an adequate supply of PPE.
Public health is promptly starting contact tracing in 95% of confirmed cases, but they are experiencing difficulties completing the interviews (66% completion rate).
Our daily deaths are way down from their peaks in early May. However the death rates are still 4 times as high in low-income neighborhoods like Pico Union, Duarte or Westlake as in high-income areas, like Beverly Hills, Bel Air or Palos Verdes. The death rates in nursing homes are way down, and the county has begun to identify the high infection and death rates in facilities like Panorama Gardens, Olympia, Aden Terrace or Bel Toorew; they also are identifying staff infection rates and the adequacy of PPE supplies – bringing much needed transparency for patients’ families.
I’m seeing 100% compliance with masks at the neighborhood grocery stores or hardware store. Many of the small restaurants have closed; others are doing take-out. In Santa Monica, they are opening up the sidewalks and narrowing the streets to make outdoor eating easier, which is starting to happen as you can see people coming back for outdoor dining.
Many more of the young on the local hiking trails are wearing masks and encouraging other young hikers to do so. A day or so ago, we heard one young recalcitrant citing Donald Trump’s immortal words (how can he be wrong?) as his justification for not wearing his mask.
Local public schools in LA are opening for distance learning only in August. Local colleges and universities are doing likewise with exceptions for in person lab classes and for foreign students and low-income students who need housing on campus. No telling yet whether they have solved the problems of internet access, teacher training and family familiarity with the necessary apps and equipment that were so devastating last spring to effective K-12 student learning, particularly among low income families. Some well to do parents are banding together to hire teachers to teach their kids in small pods off site or outdoors.
Stay safe and well,
Lucien