Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 death toll hit the 1,000 mark on April 28.
There were 597 new cases and 59 deaths in the county, putting the totals at 20,976 and 1,000, respectively.
“L.A. County has hit the tragic milestone of 1,000 people dying from COVID-19,” County Public Heath Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in an April 28 press briefing. “Please know that if you are grieving the loss of loved ones who have died from COVID-19, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your friends.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on April 27 that Los Angeles could begin to reopen in weeks but it would be a gradual process. He added that the “the curve really is beginning to flatten.”
COVID-19 testing also now is available to essential workers in the media and transportation industries, including food delivery and ridesharing.
An April 28 Los Angeles Times report stated that Los Angeles County has 9.3 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people, the highest urban county rate in the state. The county also accounts for around half of all COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state.
The Times report also stated that backlogs in testing have made it unclear if the county really has flattened the curve; however, Ferrer told the Times that come mid-May — when the county’s shelter-in-place order is scheduled to expire — the county’s COVID-19 cases and deaths likely will be on the decline. She added that officials expect to begin easing the shelter-in-place order when the county has widespread testing and contact tracing in place.
“I think as we put those systems in place, we can be at the point where we can relax,” Ferrer said.
