16 additional cases of coronavirus were reported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Sunday, which brings the total number of cases to 69. One of the new cases has no identified source, the agency said.
While three patients were exposed during recent travel, two are health care workers, and four had contact with a confirmed case, the health department reports. Five of the 16 cases still need further investigation. The final case was reported by the Long Beach Health Department late on Saturday.
The latter case is a woman in her late 60s. She was hospitalized and is in stable condition. She had no known exposure to COVID-19, and she had not recently traveled to a place with a known community transmission.
Local authorities anticipate more confirmed cases as more people are tested.
#COVID19LongBeach UPDATE: Today, the @LBHealthDept is reporting a new case of #COVID19 in an adult woman who did not have known exposure to an individual with the virus or travel to an area of community transmission. pic.twitter.com/vlHHW8djsv
— City of Long Beach (@LongBeachCity) March 14, 2020According to a LA Public Health press release, 10 of the cases were likely due to community transmission and five cases are confirmed hospitalized. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Los Angeles County Public Health Director said in a statement, "We anticipate more cases and increased community spread as more testing occurs. We are asking everyone to expect more social distancing requirements as more cases are identified. Please do not call 911 to request testing for COVID-19 and please do not go to our emergency rooms unless you are seriously ill and require emergency care."
She continued, "If you have respiratory illness and want to know if you should be tested for COVID-19, it is best to call your health care provider or, if you don't have a provider, call 2-1-1 for help finding a clinician near you. Our healthcare providers are prepared to see more cases, but we must all do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in order to minimize strain on our healthcare system and other service providers."
#PressRelease 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advisory. 16 New Cases of Confirmed #COVIDー19 in LA County. Total is now 69 cases. #SocialDistancing is the most effective and readily available tool to slow the spread of novel coronavirus. View: https://t.co/gQ1Kn8fUL7 pic.twitter.com/jLywSaKX8V
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) March 15, 2020
