Malibu Up To 56 Confirmed Cases – Red Lights Flashing In LA County
Written by 991KBU on July 7, 2020
Public health officials are sounding the alarms: hospitalization rates are rising in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The death toll now …. 3494 in the two counties.
One in every 140 people might actually have the coronavirus
It has infected more than a confirmed 116,000.
56 cases in Malibu … still one confirmed death within city limits.
But in less affluent parts of the Southland … the inefections are raging.
Doctor Barbara Ferrer.
NEWSCART FERRER SURGING
“Cases are surging hospitalizations are increasing and mostly this is all a reflection of a lot more community spread.”
There is a good news/bad news story.
As the disease spreads … the death rate is dropping.
That may be because infection controls are in place at the area’s nursing homes.
The average of deaths at skilled nursing facilities has been on a steep decline since late June —
More than 1,700 people who have died in L.A. County were residents of skilled nursing facilities, and at one time they were the majority of cases.
But that has changed.
Barbare Ferrer says younger people are now the ones showing up with the virus.
NEWSCART 75710 FERRER CANNOT CONT
“There’s a significant increase in the percentage among 18 to 40 year old residents.
“We’ve had a lot of people disregard the practices that allowed us to slow the spread.
“And unfortunately this cannot continue.”
Half of the people who are positive for the virus are now between 18 and 40 years old.
Hospitalizations for people 18 and 40 years old have also increased from more than 10% of hospitalized cases in April to about 25% in July.
And young people are a group less likely to die.
One big worry … inthe last month … the number of people going out and about is rising.
86% of residents were remaining in their homes except for essential needs in April.
That number has dropped over time and is now at 58%.
And a USC survey shows the number of people coming into close contact with individuals outside their household has increased from 31 to 55 percent.
Will that mean an increased number of deaths?
We won’t know for sure for a couple of weeks, because death is a “lagging indicator.”
