As of Aug. 6, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 48 new deaths and 3,290 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in L.A. County to 201,106. There have been 4,869 deaths. In Beverly Hills, the number of cases is 546.
Public Health has also released new statistics regarding the age range of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Residents between the ages of 18 and 49 years old make up nearly 60 percent of new cases, with the majority of that number comprised of residents between the ages of 30 to 49 years old. In fact, rates for this group have nearly tripled since the beginning of June.
Younger residents are also being hospitalized more than before. Individuals between the ages of 30- and 49-years old account for 25 percent of hospitalized patients in the County. Patients between the ages of 18 and 29 years old now account for more than twice the proportion of all hospitalizations than they did in April. These patients now match the hospitalization rate of people aged 80 years old or older. By comparison, hospitalizations of those 80 years old or older have fallen by half since a peak in April.
There are 1,768 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 31 percent of them are receiving treatment in the ICU. This continues to be lower than the daily hospitalizations of over 2,000 patients reported last week.
As of Aug. 6, Public Health has identified 197,912 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 4,825 deaths.
Public Health anticipates receiving a backlog of cases once the State electronic laboratory system issues are fixed. This issue has undercounted the County’s positive cases and affects the number of COVID-19 cases reported each day and our contact tracing efforts. Data sources that track other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by this reporting issue.
“We all know that COVID-19 can affect all of us, no matter how young we are,” said Barbara Ferrer, Ph. D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of Public Health. “It can also cause a ripple effect that ends up infecting those among us that we love. A young person going to a party can then go back home and infect their parents or older relatives, causing them great harm. So, I really encourage everyone, especially younger adults to think about this when deciding whether to see a group of friends at a party or staying home and visiting their friends virtually. We can and will one day get to the point where hanging out with a group of friends is possible – but we aren’t there yet.”
The State is expected to soon release information on when colleges and universities can re-open for in-classroom instruction. In the interim, Public Health released a comprehensive set of draft protocols to guide colleges and universities with planning activities toward the eventual return to in-person instruction. The protocols touch on all aspects of campus life, from on-campus housing, to classrooms, to the dining commons. This includes infection control practices, such as regular sanitizing of common spaces, consistent use of face coverings in all areas of the campus, and the reconfiguration of campus spaces, including dorms to enable physical distancing. Like other workplaces, they will have to screen their employees and students for COVID-19 and quickly notify the department when clusters of cases occur to help stop the chain of transmission. Because college and university campuses exist in the middle of larger communities, significant attention needs to be paid to steps that institutions take to protect community residents from exposures that originate on a campus; this includes good communications, support for community mitigation strategies, and minimizing risky actions.
The State announced the reopening of youth sports earlier this week and released their guidance for the safe operation of youth sports leagues. Youth sports and physical education are permitted only outdoors, and tournaments, events and competitions are not allowed. Physical distancing of at least six feet must be maintained at all times and for sports that require closer contact, only conditioning and skill building is permitted. Masks are not required when outside engaging in activities that require physical exertion. Adult, amateur team sports are not permitted at this time.
Given the current delays, the department urges any person with a positive lab result to call 1-833-540-0473 to connect with a public health specialist who can provide information about services and support. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information. Additional information and a list of resources is available at
