The increase in coronavirus in Los Angeles County continues to be driven by younger people, with the majority of those infected under the age of 41.
Authorities said Sunday that 53% of the 2,848 new cases reported for the day occurred among that group. Overall, 52% of the cases to date in the county have been people under the age of 41.
Statewide, people ages 18 to 34 account for the highest percentage of confirmed coronavirus cases, followed by 35 to 49, according to The Times’ coronavirus tracker.
The increase in cases began in June when parts of the economy reopened. Authorities believe the coronavirus is affecting younger people who have returned to summer socialization or resumed work. Those who die from COVID-19 continue to be much older, with people over the age of 80 being the largest group, followed by those aged 65 to 79.
There has been increasing concern about the increase in Californians receiving COVID-19. This month, Governor Gavin Newsom called them “invincible youth,” who believe they are not at risk of getting sick or passing the virus on to others.
“They are invincible but they don’t feel it is going to affect them and if it does it is not a big burden,” he said.
With hospitalizations hitting new highs this month, officials have closed some businesses, including bars, indoor restaurants, shopping malls and other retailers. There is still debate about whether California reopened too soon.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday that LA opened too quickly and again warned that the city was close to imposing some kind of new order to stay home if conditions don’t improve.
Garcetti was asked on CNN about a Times editorial criticizing the rapid reopening of California, which was followed by a large increase in both new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand, mayors often have no control over what opens and doesn’t, whether it’s at the state or county level,” Garcetti said. “And I agree that those things happened too quickly.”
Despite his comments, local leaders like Garcetti are allowed to issue closing and stay-at-home orders that are stricter than those issued by the county or state, but not rules that are more lenient, authorities said.
The mayor has previously suggested that he will be in charge of deciding when to reopen the city.
“Our opening time may vary from other parts of the state,” he said in early May. “I will reopen our city with careful consideration, guided by public health professionals.”
Garcetti also said Sunday that the city was “on the verge” of the new restrictions, but did not elaborate. The mayor has made the comment earlier in the past two weeks, saying the city would act if cases continued to rise, even after a series of state-imposed restrictions this month that included banning eating from indoor restaurants and the closure of bars, shopping malls and other retailers in Los Angeles County and many others.
The mayor urged patience, saying it will take up to three weeks to know if the closings have helped curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Los Angeles County public health officials reported 2,848 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday.
There are 2,216 people hospitalized with the virus, the county health department reported. Sunday was the fifth day in a row that the number of hospitalizations exceeded 2,100 and the first time that hospitalizations exceeded 2,200.
Among those hospitalized, 26% are in intensive care units and 19% are on ventilators.
The latest report also includes 11 deaths, bringing the county total to 4,095.
“We continue to make significant achievements and today we are seeing the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations,” Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Right now, young adults are being hospitalized at a rate never seen before. No matter how young you are, you are vulnerable to this virus. I urge everyone to take collective responsibility: stay physically separate from people they don’t live with, wear a suitable mask when they are away from home, but stay home as much as possible. “
