Over 1M Infected, Nearly 16K Dead In LA County 1 Year After First COVID-19 Case Announced

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — On the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case announced in Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health Tuesday announced another 5,927 confirmed cases and 291 deaths — bringing countywide totals to 1,085,044 cases and 15,592 deaths.

People without appointments wait in line Jan. 25 for the potential chance to receive a COVID-19 vaccination that would have otherwise been discarded at the Kedren Community Health Center in Los Angeles. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty)

“Today, as we mark the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in L.A. County, we remember the many people who died from COVID-19 over the past year and the many families that will forever be healing from their loss,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said. “May you find peace today and always.”

Of the 291 new deaths, 91 people were over the age of 80, 99 people were between the ages of 65 and 79, 69 people were between the ages of 50 and 64, 17 people were between the ages of 30 and 49 and three people were between the ages of 18 and 29. The remaining 11 deaths were reported by the city of Pasadena.

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According to the department, January is on track to be the deadliest month yet in the pandemic and again urged residents to refrain from gathering in crowds, to stay home when sick and wear a face covering and maintain physical distance from others when in public.

The department warned that just because the state’s regional stay-at-home order has been lifted, it did not mean that the pandemic was over.

“COVID-19 transmission remains very high in Los Angeles County, and while we issued a new health order that allows some businesses to reopen, this does not mean that we have stopped the spread of the virus,” Ferrer said. “The simple fact of the matter is that if we are not more careful than we have been in the past when sectors have reopened, case counts will rise again, creating the possibility of another surge.”

With test results available for nearly 5,410,000 people, the county’s overall positivity rate was holding steady at 19% — though the daily rate Tuesday was 12%, slightly higher than Monday’s 11.9%.