Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 1, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 1, 2020 

FIRST WEST NILE VIRUS CASES REPORTED 
IN L.A. COUNTY

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has identified 
the first two cases of human West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Los Angeles County for the 2020 
season (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena as cases identified in those cities are reported by their 
local health departments).

An older adult with no underlying illness was hospitalized with neuroinvasive disease in early July and 
is recovering. The second case was detected in late July in a healthy blood donor. The positive blood 
units were discarded. Both are residents of the San Fernando Valley region.

“West Nile virus continues to be a serious health threat to residents in Los Angeles County. We encourage 
residents to cover, clean or get rid of items that can hold water and breed mosquitoes both 
inside and outside your home. This is important now more than ever as we spend a majority of our 
time at home,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “We are now in peak 
mosquito season in Los Angeles County and residents should also protect themselves from mosquito-
borne illnesses by using EPA-registered mosquito repellent products.”

Mosquito season in Los Angeles County starts in June and ends in November. 

Humans get WNV through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most mosquitoes do not carry the virus; 
therefore, most people bitten by a mosquito are not exposed to WNV. Those who do get WNV may 
experience mild symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. In some cases, especially in 
persons over 50 years of age and those with chronic medical conditions such as cancer and diabetes, 
severe WNV infection can occur and affect the brain and spinal cord causing meningitis, encephalitis, 
and paralysis. There is no specific treatment for WNV disease and no vaccine to prevent infection.

The number of people infected with WNV each year in LA County is estimated to be more than 
10,000, because most infected persons do not experience any illness or perhaps only mild illness. 
These cases are neither reported nor even recognized as WNV. Moreover, Public Health has reported 
elevated numbers of WNV cases in LA County over the previous 5 years, at an average of 159 cases 
per year. More than three-quarters of reported cases have had severe disease and approximately 7% of 
patients with severe WNV have died from complications.

“It’s important to remember that West Nile virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes,” says Truc 
Dever, General Manager of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. “That’s why residents 
need to take measures to prevent mosquito bites, especially now that most people are staying 
home and spending time in their yards. Remember to tip and toss anything that can hold water on 
your property and use insect repellent when mosquitoes are present. Reducing the risk of mosquito-
borne disease infection is a shared responsibility for everyone in L.A. County.”

Stagnant swimming pools or “green pools” should be reported to the Public Health Environmental 
Health Bureau at (626) 430-5200, or to a local vector control agency. Dead birds may be reported by 
calling (877) 968-2473 or online: http://www. westnile.ca.gov/report_wnv.php.

Recovery from WNV can take months or years. One study showed that 12 months after infection, 
about half of those with this disease continued to have cognitive and physical impairment such as 
memory loss, difficulty walking and fatigue.

Decrease your risk of exposure:

PROTECT YOURSELF: Mosquito repellents can keep mosquitoes from biting you. EPA-registered 
repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, 2-undecanone, and oil of lemon eucalyptus are the 
longest lasting and most effective. They are available as sprays, wipes, and lotions. Find the repellent 
that’s right for you here. Consider wearing long-sleeved clothes and pants when outside.

MOSQUITO PROOF YOUR HOME: Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting 
screens to keep out mosquitoes. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.

REDUCE MOSQUITOES: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.

Check for items that hold water inside and outside your home once a week

Cover water storage containers such as buckets and rain barrels. If no lid is available, use wire mesh 
with holes smaller than an adult mosquito

Clear standing water in flowerpots, saucers, birdbaths and other containers

Clean and maintain swimming pools, spas and drain water from pool covers

Throw away old items in your patio or yard that can hold water, e.g., old car tires and children’s toys

Call 2-1-1 or visit socalmosquito.org to report persistent problems to your mosquito control district.

More information and resources:

West Nile virus in LA County: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/VectorWestNile.htm

West Nile virus information by phone: (800) 232-4636

West Nile virus in California: http://westnile.ca.gov

Health education materials on mosquito control and preventing West Nile virus infections: http://
www.socalmosquito.org

It's Not Just A Bite, a mosquito-borne disease public health campaign http://bit.ly/NotJustABite

Where to call with questions about mosquitoes:

San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District: (626) 814-9466

Pasadena City Health Department: (626) 744-6004

LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMERGENCY 

OPERATIONS CENTER COVID-19 UPDATE 

7/31/2020 3:30pm 

(Compared to 6/26/2020)

LOS ANGELE COUNTY 07/31/20 6/26/20 

 Total Cases 185,872 93,232 
Deaths 4,552 3,267 

STATS BY CITY Population Cases Deaths 

 (last month's stats in parenthesis)

Pasadena 14,1371 1,943 (1213) 105 (89)

Uninc- East Pasadena 6,403 47 (4) 1 (0)

City of Arcadia 57,754 309 (147) 15 (8)

Uninc. - Arcadia 7.981 70 ( 20) 1 (0)

City of Bradbury 1,069 12 (6) 0 (0)

City of Duarte 22,016 360 (177) 24 (18)

Uninc.- Duarte 4,428 84 (32) 2 (1)

City of Monrovia 38,800 559 (264) 34 (28)

Uninc - Monrovia 3,881 66 (30) 0 (0)

 

City of Sierra Madre 10,989 51 (28) 3 (2)

City of So.Pasadena 26,053 217 (153) 25 (21)

 

Uninc.- Altadena 43,260 440 (214) 11 (7)

La County Testing as of 7/31/20: 1,733,022

Positivity Rate (No. of tests that are positive out of total tests taken) as 7/31/20: 10.4%

Nationally recommended Positivity Level: 8% 

For updated information go to: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_
surveillance_dashboard/ 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY 

COVID-19 UPDATE 7/31/2020

 91 NEW DEATHS AND 4,825 NEW CASES OF CONFIRMED 
COVID-19 IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, HIGH 
NUMBER OF NEW DEATHS AND NEW CASES OF COVID-
19 PARTLY DUE TO BACKLOG OF REPORTS

 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 91 
new deaths and 4,825 new cases of COVID-19. The high number of new deaths are from a 
backlog of reports received from over the weekend. The high number of new cases are, in 
part, due to a backlog of over 2,000 results received from Thursday through Sunday.

There are 2,045 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are confirmed 
cases in the ICU. There are a total of 2,599 confirmed and suspect cases that are 
currently hospitalized and 17% of these people are on ventilators. The hospitalization data 
is missing data from three hospitals not included in today's update.

 Public Health is pleased to announce that the Board of Supervisors allocated $15 million 
in CARES Act funding for childcare vouchers to serve essential workers and low-income 
families in the County. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Early Childhood Education 
COVID-19 Response Team, Public Health will support the funding distribution.

 The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education will contract with the Child 
Care Alliance, a network of LA County Resource and Referral /Alternative Payment agencies, 
to distribute vouchers. To expedite the process, the funding will be infused into the 
existing voucher system. Families seeking early care and education services may access 
vouchers by calling 888-92-CHILD (888-922-4453). Eligibility for these vouchers is set by 
the state.

 

Public Health is reporting one additional case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in 
children (MIS-C). This brings the total cases of MIS-C in LA County to 16 children. Ten 
of these cases are among girls. The majority of cases (73%) were Latino/Latinx. No children 
with MIS-C in LA County have died.

 MIS-C is a condition that has been affecting children under 21 years old across the country 
who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or had COVID-19. Different body parts can 
become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal 
organs and there can be lifelong health impacts.

 “To those grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, I send my heartfelt condolences. 
My heart and blessings also go out to the many people who are suffering with COVID-19 
in Los Angeles County," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. 
“I know that we’re all eager and anxious to see our lives return to normal. We want our 
children to be back at school, seeing their friends and making cherished memories. We 
have the tools at hand to make this happen. We need compliance with our directives - so 
please continue to wear a face covering and do not gather with people you don’t live with.”

 

The Governor has allowed local health officers the discretion to grant waivers to school 
districts and private schools that would permit schools to reopen for in-classroom instruction 
for students in grades TK through grade 6. Superintendents must submit school district 
waiver requests to re-open for approval by the local health officer. The decision to 
grant a waiver will be based on ensuring that schools are able to open in full adherence 
with the L.A. County school re-opening protocols, along with reviewing epidemiological 
data for each school district. The process requires consultation with the California Department 
of Public Health prior to accepting or rejecting waiver applications. The application 
process will be available online and is planned to be launched by the end of the week.

To date, Public Health has identified 183,383 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas 
of L.A. County, and a total of 4,516 deaths. Public Health anticipates continuing to receive 
a backlog of lab reports in the coming days due to problems with the state electronic lab 
reporting system.

 

Testing results are available for nearly 1,683,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing 
positive. 

 

Of the 91 new deaths reported today, 31 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach 
and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 27 people who died were between the ages 
of 65 and 79 years old, 17 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, 
seven people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and three people who 
died were between the ages of 18 and 29. Seventy-two people had underlying health conditions 
including 28 people over the age of 80 years old, 22 people between the ages of 65 and 
79 years old, 14 people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, six people between the ages 
of 30 and 49 years old, and two between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Five deaths were 
reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena. 
Upon further investigation, 84 cases and one death reported earlier were not LA County 
residents.

 Ninety-two percent of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. 
Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,233 people 
(99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/
Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among 
African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 
residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races.

 Death rates by race and ethnicity show stark inequities between African American/Black 
and Latino/Latinx residents and White residents. Latino/Latinx residents have the highest 
rates of death, with a rate of 58 residents per 100,000 population. This is almost two and 
a half times the rate of death compared to White residents. Similarly, the rate for African 
American/Black residents is 49 deaths per 100,000 population, equal to twice the rate for 
White residents.

 The differences by poverty rate are also startling. Those who live in areas with the highest 
rates of poverty are more than four times more likely to die of COVID-19 compared to 
those who live in low-poverty areas. These differences are unjust and unacceptable, and we 
must continue to address the deep-rooted issues that are at the heart of this burden on our 
Black and Brown and low-income residents continue to face.

 The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to 
Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your 
family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.
gov.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com