Los Angeles County coronavirus cases rise to 64,644, with 2,655 deaths

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County on Monday reported 823 new coronavirus cases and 10 additional deaths, bringing the totals to 64,644 cases and 2,655 deaths.

Six people who died were over the age of 65 years old and three people who died were between the ages of 41 and 65 years old, five people had underlying health conditions including three people over the age of 65 years old and two people between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. The data on the remaining case was not immediately available.

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department lists the race and ethnicity data associated with COVID-19 deaths on its website.

Public Health officials said that the number of deaths and new cases reported on Monday's are often lower due to a lag of reporting over the weekend.

MOBILE USERS, CLICK HERE TO WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

Approximately 93% of all county residents who died from the virus had underlying health conditions. County Public Health Director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer said this emphasizes the county's need to protect those with underlying health conditions and urges those residents to stay at home as much as possible.

Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android

She said this includes, but is not limited to, individuals with asthma, those who have had cancer, anyone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and anyone who is immune-compromised.

"If you're part of one of these groups, you need to take every precaution imaginable to protect yourself from COVID-19," said Ferrer.

According to Public Health, 6,923 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 at some point required hospitalization during their battle with the illness. There are 1,399 individuals currently hospitalized in the county with the virus, according to Public Health.

Testing capacity continues to increase in LA County, with testing results available for over 708,000 individuals and 8% of those people testing positive.

While LA County officials have not released data on the number of COVID-19 patients that have recovered from the virus within the county, John's Hopkins University reports that more than 506,000 patients have recovered nationwide.

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom said that California will begin to allow schools, day camps, bars, gyms and professional sports to reopen with modifications starting Friday.

On Monday, county Supervisor Kathryn Barger said that LA County was given the green light to reopen those types of establishments in the county, but that the county will determine and announce prior to Friday, which sectors will be allowed to reopen and with what protocols.

Coronavirus: Cases rise as re-opening continues

Los Angeles County health officials this weekend reported 1,523 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus and 25 additional deaths, bringing the county's totals on Sunday to 63,844 cases and 2,645 fatalities.

Public Health said in a statement that it "joins the many voices expressing dismay, anger, and frustration at the murder of George Floyd by police, and supports the need for LA County residents to stand together against racism and violence."

However, health officials wanted to remind protesters that we are in the midst of a pandemic and urged residents to wear a face-covering securely over their nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household.

Why social distancing can save lives amid COVID-19 pandemic

Social distancing is not only about preventing the illness itself, but rather, slowing the rate at which people get sick. 

"Protestors who have had close contact with non-household members not wearing face coverings, should when possible, self-quarantine at their residence for 14 days and monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms. If they develop symptoms, they should call their healthcare provider and consider testing," Public Health stated.

Public Health continues to stress to the public that while a majority of those who have died from COVID-19 in the county had underlying health conditions, not everyone does. Residents are urged to continue to take the necessary precautions in order to protect themselves from the virus.

Health officials say that social distancing remains our best defense against the virus, and all residents are instructed to abide by current measures in place across the state. Social distancing is not only about preventing the illness itself, but rather, slowing the rate at which people get sick.

The county's health department says that because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of widespread transmission, everyone should always wear a face-covering securely over their nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in their household when out and about.

On April 3, the CDC announced that it would be recommending people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

The use of face coverings is believed to help slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus, without knowing it, from transmitting it to others.

The face coverings can be made at home from common materials at low cost, and the CDC has instructions on how to make them listed on its website.

This comes as more evidence is emerging that coronavirus infections are being spread by people who have no clear symptoms. In early April, the CDC changed how it was defining risk of infection for Americans, saying anyone may be a considered a carrier, whether they have symptoms or not.

Public Health says that 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 and wear a clean face covering when in contact with others from outside your household.

According to the CDC, symptoms of the virus include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a new loss of taste or smell. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should call their healthcare provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

Click here for a list of locations of confirmed coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County.

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.