Los Angeles County health officials announced on April 13 that the number of new COVID-19 cases that day was the lowest since March 26.
KTLA reported that there were 239 newly confirmed cases on April 13, putting the total in the county at 9,420. There were 25 coronavirus deaths on April 13, bringing the death toll to 320 deaths.
Health officials cautioned that the lower number of new cases could be because of a lag in testing over the weekend.
“I want to be only cautiously optimistic because, always on Mondays, we have a lag because of the lab reporting issues and lack of testing that happens over the weekends,” County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.
She also pointed out that the county hasn’t been able to conduct as much testing as it would like, so it will take more time determine if the number of new cases has truly peaked in the county.
“This will be a critical week again to see if we maintain a steady number,” Ferrer said.
The county currently conducts 5,000 to 6,000 tests a day, according to KTLA. The city of West Hollywood announced on April 13 that it is opening a drive-through testing site. Those who are eligible to be tested include people who are age 65 and older, have underlying health conditions and those who were potentially exposed to COVID-19 over the past seven days.
“West Hollywood is doing everything we can to get more test kits and more testing locations into the community,” Mayor John D’Amico said in a statement. “We’re sending a huge thank you to the healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers caring for those in our community and are showing our support of their commitment by lighting the lanterns above Santa Monica Boulevard blue in their honor.”
The county also has started conducting tests for antibodies in six locations as part of a pilot test program to see if people already had COVID-19 but never were tested. A thousand people at random were selected to take part in the trial.
According to ABC7, the program is aimed at determining “how widely the virus has spread in the population, the mortality rate and potential immunity.” Additionally, antibodies from those who recovered from COVID-19 can be used to treat those who are critically ill with the disease.
“Five patients who had COVID and who are on ventilators have the most severe form of the disease,” USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Dr. Neeraj Sood, who is working with the county on the trial, told ABC7. “They took antibodies from the blood of people who had recovered from COVID and then they injected these antibodies into these five patients. These five patients saw a remarkable improvement in their clinical trials.”
