With 18 new deaths in the past 24 hours, and a total of 1,839 deaths and 38,451 positive COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases in Los Angeles County to date.

LA County Department of Public Health – Environmental Health Specialist Nona Oganisyan, issued a message in Armenian today during the daily press briefing, urging the Armenian-American community to continue following safe practices to avoid getting infected along with updated statistical data.

Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for over 350,000 individuals and 9% of people testing positive. The City of Los Angeles, is providing free COVID-19 testing to all Los Angeles City residents, whether or not you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Priority for the same or next day testing will still be given to people with symptoms, such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Testing is also prioritized for certain critical front-line workers who interact with the public while working. All Los Angeles County residents can find out if they are eligible for a test and schedule an appointment at a drive-up mobile testing site. Visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/ to see if you qualify for testing.

Testing capacity also continues to increase across skilled nursing facilities in LA County. With the support from Public Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the City of Los Angeles, 141 skilled nursing facilities have tested all residents and staff. Of the over 3,600 people tested, 402 (11%) tested positive for COVID-19 and only 57 (14%) of the people who tested positive were symptomatic. This highlights the number of people, in any setting, who may be positive for COVID-19 and have no symptoms.

The latest figures, according to the LA County Public Health Department website, the city of Glendale continues as one of the highest affected with 853 positive COVID-19 cases, and 64 deaths to date. Other areas with high populations of Armenian-Americans, include Burbank (350 cases), East Hollywood (190 cases), Hollywood (231 cases), Little Armenia (167 cases), Montebello (253 cases), North Hollywood (565 cases), Northridge (251 cases), Pasadena (694 cases), Sunland (120 cases), and Tujunga (100 cases). For a complete up to date list of COVID-19 posit cases by cities and institutions, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

A new Health Officer Safer at Home Order allows for lower-risk businesses and select recreational facilities and beaches to reopen. All retailers that are not located in an indoor mall or shopping center are able to reopen for curbside, door-side, outside pickup, or delivery only. The public is not allowed to go inside. Manufacturing and logistic businesses that supply retail businesses may also reopen. Before retail businesses, manufacturing and logistic businesses reopen, they are required to prepare, implement and post their plan for adhering to directives including distancing and infection control practices that protect both employees and customers. Beaches can reopen for active recreation including running, walking, swimming and surfing. However, group sports and activities like picnicking and sunbathing are not permitted, and parking lots, bike paths, piers, and boardwalks, remain closed. Select recreational facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, shooting and archery ranges, equestrian centers and community gardens can also reopen. Everyone must continue to practice physical distancing of at least six feet apart and wear a clean cloth face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when around people outside of your household. This Order continues to require that specific higher-risk businesses remain closed and prohibits public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit.

Currently, LA County is in stage two of the five-stage Roadmap to Recovery and until the final stage five is reached, Health Officer Orders and directives will continue to ensure that we slow spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 cases at healthcare facilities.

An interactive dashboard is available that provides an overview on COVID-19 testing, cases and deaths along with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity. To view Public Health’s COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, visit:
http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/.

The best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing (especially by staying at home) and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household. People who have underlying health conditions remain at much greater risk for serious illness from COVID-19, so it will continue to be very important for the County’s vulnerable residents to stay at home as much as possible, to have groceries and medicine delivered, and to call their providers immediately if they have even mild symptoms.

https://massispost.com/2020/05/la-county-public-health-dept-covid-19-armenian-update-5-18-2020/