L.A. County Exceeds 15,000 COVID-19 Deaths; Cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Increase

Public Health Reports 269 New Deaths and 10,537 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Sadly, Los Angeles County has surpassed the grim milestone of more than 15,000 total COVID-19 deaths. The County has experienced more than 5,000 new COVID-19 deaths since December 30, when the County reported 10,056 total deaths.

To date, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has reported a total of 1,064,887 confirmed COVID-19 cases across Los Angeles County and a total of 15,162 deaths. Today Public Health, confirmed 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases of COVID-19.

There are 6,881 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24% of these people are in the ICU.  This is the first time daily hospitalizations decreased under 7,000 patients since December 29. While the number of patients hospitalized daily with COVID-19 decreased, healthcare workers and ICU capacity remain overwhelmed.

According to the State, the Southern California Region continues to have 0% available ICU capacity and remains under the Regional Stay at Home Order.

Of the 269 new deaths reported today, 82 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 85 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 52 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 15 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person was between the ages of 18 and 29. Nine deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and nine deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

People of all ages can spread COVID-19 and are at risk of severe health outcomes.

Eight additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) are also being reported by Public Health. This brings the total cases of MIS-C in L.A. County to 62 children including one child death. All 62 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 45% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under the age of 5 years old, 37% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 32% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children account for nearly 74% of the reported cases.

MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 and symptoms include fever that does not go away and inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If you believe your child is displaying MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care or an urgent care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you do not have a primary care provider, dial 2-1-1 and L.A. County will help connect you to one.

“We wish healing and peace to everyone mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Many people continue to spread this virus and, tragically, now more than 15,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.  While we are seeing some positive data in daily new cases and hospitalizations, we are far from out of the woods. It is critically important we slow COVID-19 spread to decompress the strain on our healthcare system and save lives. Please continue to adhere to all of the safety measures to protect yourself and others: staying home as much as possible, wearing a face covering, avoiding gatherings, keeping your distance, and washing your hands frequently.”

Testing results are available for nearly 5,355,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive.

If you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, immediately separate yourself from the people who live with you and others. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those that are older should remain in their home and ask others living with them to wear a face covering when they are nearby.  If you are or someone you know is having severe symptoms including difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, inability to wake or stay awake and/or bluish lips or face, call 911 or go to the emergency room.

COVID-19 vaccine supply remains very limited.  As a reminder, at this time, only Los Angeles County healthcare workers in Phase 1A and County residents age 65 and older are eligible to get their vaccination. This high-priority age group may receive communication from their health care provider with information about COVID-19 vaccinations and how to receive one through their provider. They can also visit VaccinateLACounty.com to check for and to schedule an appointment for vaccination, which fill up very quickly. Appointments are mandatory. For those without access to a computer or the internet, or with disabilities, a call center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473. Individuals are encouraged to use the website whenever possible to sign up for an appointment to avoid long wait times on the phone.

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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