258 New Deaths and 15,051 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirmed 258 new deaths and 15,051 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 989,928 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 13,489 deaths.   L.A. County is likely to record over 1 million total cases this weekend.

Of the 258 new deaths reported today, 95 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 79 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 60 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and 13 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29. Seven deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and three deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

There are 7,715 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU. For most of this week, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 each day remained slightly under 8,000 patients.  While the number of patients hospitalized daily with COVID-19 decreased slightly, healthcare workers and ICU capacity remains strained. According to the State, the Southern California Region continues to have 0% available ICU capacity.

Testing results are available for more than 5,154,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive.

The most important action for everyone to take to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives is to stay home and not mingle with others not in your household.

As of Thursday, more than 279,000 doses of vaccine including more than 219,000 first doses and more than 60,000 second doses have been administered to healthcare workers and residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities in Phase 1A.  The County is in the process of offering vaccinations to all remaining healthcare workers in Phase 1A.  While many frontline healthcare workers have already received their first dose, we estimate an additional 450,000 healthcare workers need to be vaccinated.

There are many healthcare partners vaccinating healthcare workers, including select pharmacies and health clinics. To bolster vaccination efforts for remaining healthcare workers who are eligible for a vaccine in Phase 1A, next week, Public Health is opening five new large-capacity vaccination sites across the county for frontline healthcare workers in Phase 1A.  Healthcare workers must register for an appointment in advance and must bring identification with them that clearly shows where they work and that they qualify when showing up for their vaccine. Healthcare workers should visit the signup website to register.

With support from our many partners and the opening of the large-capacity vaccination sites, Public Health anticipates the remaining healthcare workers will be vaccinated with their first dose in the next two weeks.  Beginning next week, Public Health will be working with healthcare providers and pharmacies to get ready to vaccinate people 65 and older once our vaccine allocation increases.  This way we can continue with our commitment to vaccinate healthcare workers while getting ready for Phase 1B.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com to learn about the vaccination phases, determine when you can get vaccinated, and sign-up for our COVID-19 vaccine newsletter.

“To all people grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we are deeply sorry for your loss and wish you peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As vaccine supply allows, we want to expand vaccinations and move through the tiers as quickly as possible. We are very hopeful that our allocation of doses increases enough for us to begin vaccinating seniors before the end of the month.  As vaccine supply improves, more residents will become eligible for vaccinations. It will take a number of months to reach the level of vaccination needed in the population to curb ongoing transmission of the virus.”

While the vaccination process is underway, it is imperative that everyone continues to follow the straight-forward measures needed to prevent spread of the virus–wearing a face covering, avoiding gatherings, keeping your distance, and washing your hands frequently. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those that are older should remain in their home and not be around others unless seeking essential medical care.

Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, January 19, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Join the town hall to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it was developed, where it will be distributed in our communities, and when it will be made available to the general public. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit:  http://tinyurl.com/askcovidtownhall

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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