Los Angeles County health officials found promising numbers in their fights against the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, especially in deaths among Latinos.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, coronavirus deaths across all demographics in the county are "narrowing" gaps. In terms of race, Latino and Black people contribute to fewer deaths than earlier into the pandemic.

Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted that the coronavirus hit the hardest Black and Latino residents, who live in lower-income neighborhoods. They are also at higher risk of contracting the disease, as most of them work in the essential workforce.

In this work environment, people lacked the right protective equipment, such as masks, when the pandemic first hit the United States. Aside from the nature of their work, officials said there was also limited access to testing among these communities.

Ferrer walked through statistics that showed how differently Latino, Black, and Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander residents were affected by the pandemic.

She said that a recent number showed signs of progress in closing the gap among ethnic groups. These developments are both in terms of new cases and deaths, according to NBC.

"All of this shows that we are slightly narrowing the gap for the populations that have really been the hardest hit," Ferrer said.

Latinos who are dying from coronavirus declined from 2.4 per 100,000 to 6 per 100,000.

In a statement, the county said while going down, the number is still 2.5 times higher than the death rate for white residents of Los Angeles.

Ferrer knows the county still has a long way to go before the gaps get significantly reduced. She remains hopeful, though, that the little progress will continue.

Access to testing is one of the areas the Ferrer believed to be playing responsibility in closing the gap among different groups.

"It allows people to be identified early on as being positive and they're able to isolate and their close contacts are able to quarantine," she said.

As people are informed early that they have the virus, it reduces the risks of spreading the disease to others. Ferrer also gave credit to the work of business owners in making sure that they meet health protocols.

L.A. Reports 60 Additional Deaths

Ferrer announced 61 deaths, five of which reported from Tuesday by health officials from Long Beach. There were four more coronavirus deaths from Long Beach reported on Wednesday, said the CBS Los Angeles.

Overall, since the pandemic began, there have been 5,396 people who died from the virus in Los Angeles. New cases in the county were also recorded at 1,956, bringing the total case numbers to 225,910.

With the progress in containing the virus and preventing deaths, health experts reminded people to stay alert. 

"We can't let that progress allow us to become complacent," said state Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly.

With a heatwave coming over California, some medical professionals are concerned that heat and smoke from fires will worsen the symptoms of those infected. 

Ferrer advised those who have difficulty breathing to contact a health provider or to call 911 if needed.

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