Los Angeles Saw 26% Increase In Deaths During Pandemic's First Year

LOS ANGELES, CA — During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the deadly winter surge that began in December and led to overburdened hospitals and morgues, Los Angeles County recorded an increase of 16,566 deaths over the year prior. It was a 26 percent increase over the previous year.

According to county health officials, 11,101 or 67% of those additional deaths can be attributed to COVID-19. In it's first year in Los Angeles, the coronavirus became the second-leading cause of death just behind coronary heart disease, which took 12, 207 lives. The deaths due to heart disease represented a 10% increase from 2019.

"The large increase in deaths over the space of only one year is unprecedented in modern times, and to a large degree reflects the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.

According to the report from the county Department of Public Health, a total of 81,083 deaths were reported in the county during 2020.9.

The other leading causes of death in the county in 2020 were Alzheimer's disease (4,978), stroke (4,026) and diabetes (3,527), according to the report. All of those numbers represented increases from 2019, according to the county. The county's low-income and minority communities were hit hardest by the pandemic with higher death rates than wealthier communities.

"The disparities we see are longstanding but have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and are rooted in the inequitable social, economic, and environmental conditions, structural racism, and differential access to health-promoting resources experienced by different groups," Ferrer said. "While we continue our essential efforts to reduce risks from COVID-19, it is imperative that we recognize that these efforts are inextricably linked with other vital endeavors needed to address the underlying inequities that drive the disparate death rates seen across the county."

The report noted that the highest mortality rate in the county during 2020 was among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, at 1,324 deaths per 100,000 population, followed by American Indians and Alaska Natives at 1,138 per 100,000; Black residents at 1,053 per 100,000; Latinx at 725 per 100,000; whites at 698 per 100,000; and Asians at 509 per 100,000.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.