Los Angeles County reported 18 more deaths related to the novel coronavirus on Sunday, April 26, as the county crept toward 1,000 deaths and 20,000 confirmed cases, the most of any county in California.

LA County, where the coronavirus is now the leading cause of death above heart disease, accounts for more than half of the state’s death toll. It also has the most confirmed cases by far. The next highest case count was in Riverside with slightly more than 3,000 confirmed cases.

A total of 913 people in LA County have died from complications related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, since the pandemic began. The county health department also reported 440 new confirmed cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 19,528, a number officials say is bound to continue rising as they complete more testing.

The figures reported Sunday included 29 deaths each in Long Beach and Pasadena. Both cities operate their own health departments. Also Sunday, Long Beach separately reported two additional deaths and 10 new cases.

Among those whose death was reported on Sunday, 13 were over the age of 65, four were between 41 and 65, and one person was between 18 and 40. A total of 15 people had underlying health conditions including 13 over the age of 65 and two people between the ages of 41 and 65. Out of all 913 deaths reported in LA County from COVID-19, 92% had underlying health conditions.

See how Southern California counties compare

African Americans continued to experience the highest rate of death for COVID-19 when compared to other groups at 13 deaths per 100,000 people, the health department said. The mortality rate for Latinx is 9.5; for Asians, the rate is 7.5; and for Whites, the rate is 5.5. Data for race and ethnicity was now available for 98% of all deaths in LA County related to COVID-19.

Disparities have also tracked by income. Individuals living in lower-income communities are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those living in wealthier communities, the health department stated.

“The most difficult part of the COVID-19 pandemic is losing people to the virus. To all of you who have lost loved ones, we are deeply sorry,” said Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health. “As we have more information about who is dying, we are reminded that the work ahead requires that we address issues of dis-proportionality that result in higher rates of death among African Americans, Latinx and Asians as well as residents living in poverty. Ensuring access to testing, early treatment and care, and economic support among those communities at higher risk of devastating outcomes associated with COVID-19, is essential.”

As of Sunday, roughly 23% of those who tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Testing capacity continued to increase in LA County this week, with testing results available for over 117,000 individuals.

The latest figures this weekend come following an announcement Friday that county officials would step up testing at the area’s nursing homes, which experienced a spike in new cases in recent days. County officials listed on Friday 5,339 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in institutional facilities — 3,847 residents and 1,492 staff members. Along with nursing homes, institutional settings include homeless shelters, treatment facilities and jails/correctional centers.

The Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday reported 77 employees have tested positive. Out of the cases, 33 have recovered and returned to fully duty while one individual was hospitalized. All others were self-isolating at home and recovering, according to Jessica Kellogg, public information officer for the city Emergency Operations Center.

The Los Angeles Fire Department, meanwhile, had 20 employees test positive for COVID-19, a number that has remained unchanged for more than a week. Fourteen have recovered and returned to work with none hospitalized, Kellog said.

The California Department of Public Health has reported 1,710 deaths so far from the virus with 42,164 confirmed cases. On the testing front, more than 525,000 tests have now been administered across the state including from public, commercial and academic labs.

As of April 25, local health departments have reported the deaths of 24 health care workers throughout the state and 4,593 confirmed cases, CDPH reported.

City News Service contributed to this report.