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Los Angeles County public health officials confirmed a record number of 2,232 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday. On Friday, the county reported 15 children had a potentially fatal inflammatory condition.
The hospitalization record exceeds a high set just one day prior, when it had 2,216 hospitalizations. Of those currently hospitalized, officials said 26 percent of people are in intensive care and 19 percent are on ventilators.
On Friday, the county’s public health department reported 15 cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. This condition is believed to be associated with coronavirus, and has been likened to Kawasaki disease. MIS-C results in potentially fatal inflammation throughout the body and presents in children weeks after initial COVID-19 infection.
Data from a CDC-authored study reported 186 MIS-C cases in 26 states from March 15 to May 20, 2020.
LA health officials said 40 percent of the 15 cases were among children aged between 0 and 5, 40 percent were between those aged 6 and 12, and 20 percent of cases were among those between 13 and 20. A majority of the cases were among Latino/Latinx patients.
As of Friday, there were no reported deaths among the MIS-C cases.
Fox News has reached out to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department for updated statistics on the matter.
In the department’s most recent update, nine new deaths and 3,160 cases were announced. So far, public health officials have identified 159,045 positive COVID-19 cases across LA County, and a total of 4,104 deaths. The county has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state.
CDC UPDATES CORONAVIRUS GUIDELINES ON ISOLATION, TESTING
Izzy Galvan, 20, wears a face mask while visiting the Griffith Observatory overlooking downtown Los Angeles, Wednesday, July 15, 2020, in Los Angeles. Coronavirus cases have surged to record levels in the Los Angeles area, putting the nation's largest county in "an alarming and dangerous phase" that if not reversed could overwhelm intensive care units and usher in more sweeping closures, health officials said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Of the nine new reported deaths, six people who died were over 65 years old. Also, 92 percent of the total death count are among people who had underlying health conditions.
Nevertheless, Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, sent a stern message to younger people over the weekend.
“We continue to reach concerning milestones,” Ferrer said in a department statement on July 19. “Right now, young adults are being hospitalized at a rate not seen before. No matter how young you are, you are vulnerable to this virus.”
Meanwhile, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is warning of another stay-at-home order and, according to the LA Times, on Sunday Garcetti said that decision will likely come in the next week or two as officials work to understand whether restrictions in late June and July, such as bar closures, slowed community virus spread.
On Monday, the public health department announced $10 million to community-based organizations, particularly in the hardest-hit communities, to encourage participation with case investigation and contact tracing efforts to slow the spread of the virus.
“The Governor has made it clear that until we reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in LA county, it is too dangerous for our schools to re-open for in-person classroom instruction,” Ferrer said in a department statement on July 18. “Let’s get back to working together to slow the spread and continue our recovery journey.”
CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION HIGHER AMONG OLDER SCHOOL CHILDREN, STUDY FINDS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a coronavirus school reopening plan Friday that uses localized data to determine whether or not a district could resume holding in-person classes and outlines what precautions they would have to take to do so.
The California Department of Public Health updated its guidance for schools Friday, setting benchmark criteria that counties must clear for two weeks in order to reopen their schools. Districts in areas that fail to meet those marks would have to reopen with online classes.
Earlier last week, California’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, had already announced that they would go back to school this fall with only online classes due to local spikes in coronavirus cases.
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Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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