COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalization Trends Show Progress as Vaccinations Continue

Public Health Reports 307 New Deaths and 6,917 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirmed 307 new deaths and 6,917 new cases of COVID-19.

As of January 22, the seven-day average of daily positive cases was 6,564, down from the peak of more than 15,000 cases on January 8.

There are 6,213 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 25% of these people are in the ICU.  This is down from the peak of 8,065 hospitalizations on January 6.

On January 7 the county experienced a daily average of 194 deaths. On January 19, the County average has declined to 151 deaths per day.  Public Health cautions there continues to be far too many days of more than 200 COVID-19 deaths reported in a day; today the County reported more than 300 deaths.

To date, Public Health identified 1,091,712 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 15,897 deaths.

Of the 307 new deaths reported today, 104 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 104 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 55 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 20 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. Twenty-two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

As of this week, 662,963 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered within Los Angeles County. Of this amount, 544,049 are first doses and 118,914 are second doses. The week of January 18, the County received 168,575 doses, which is about 25,000 fewer doses than the previous week. And for this week, the County only received about 137,000 doses.  Each week, there is an allocation from the federal government to the State that determines the number of vaccines allocated to L.A. County.

Every resident is guaranteed a second dose. And most individuals will be able to receive their second dose at the same site where they received their first dose. Many individuals vaccinated at a County site received the date and location of their second dose appointment on their vaccination card, which will be 21 days after their first dose if they received a Pfizer vaccine, and 28 days after their first dose if they received a Moderna vaccine. All that residents will need to do is confirm the time that works for them via a registration link that is emailed to them. For individuals who were vaccinated at the dozens of other sites across the county, including pharmacies, health centers, and city clinics, please contact the provider or site where you were vaccinated to receive information confirming your second dose appointment.

When new appointments become available, residents with internet access and a computer are urged to use VaccinateLACounty.com to sign up.  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.

“Our hearts and prayers are with everyone who is mourning the loss of a loved one or a friend.  Please know that we hold you in our thoughts every day,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is really up to us whether we can sustain re-openings without jeopardizing each other’s health and our ability to get more schools to re-open. The only way for this to occur is to keep doing what keeps the virus in check. Just because some sectors have re-opened doesn’t mean that the risk for community transmission has gone away; it hasn’t and each of us needs to make very careful choices about what we do. We know that Super Bowl Sunday is coming up – and we can’t repeat the mistakes of the past. It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes the Super Spreader of coronavirus.  For sports fans, please start planning now to find ways to enjoy the Super Bowl without putting your friends, your family and your neighbors at risk.  Play it safe. Don’t organize a party at home. Don’t go to a super bowl party. Outdoor events are prohibited.  We can’t afford for cases to rise again because we let our guard down on a Sunday or any other day.”

With the lifting of the Regional Stay Home Order, the County Health Officer Order that was issued on November 25 was reinstated.  This Order follows many of the state recommendations for sector closing and openings while introducing additional safety measures that reduce opportunities for transmission.  These measures include huge reductions in occupancy, requirements of masking for both workers and customers, distancing, infection control standards, and obligations for reporting outbreaks.  Restaurants will be allowed to reopen for in person outdoor dining on Friday, provided they implement additional safety measures to mitigate the increased risk to workers since customers are permitted to spend time unmasked.  Safety measures will also be required that increase distancing and eliminate any crowding.

Public Health is sending notices to businesses and other operations that are reopening to remind them of the safety directives that must be in place for them to open.  Public Health will be issuing citations for violations.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the County has seen horrifying inequities throughout the pandemic exacerbated by the recent surge. Although cases are dropping overall, the gap remains distressingly wide between Latino/Latinx residents and other races. Latino/Latinx residents are experiencing a 7-day cumulative daily rate of 1,900 new cases per 100,000 people. This rate for Latino/Latinx residents is more than two times that of African American/Black residents, the group with the second highest case rate of about 795 cases per 100,000 per day. White residents experience 651 cases per 100,000 people per day and Asian residents experience 616 cases per 100,000 people per day.

The number of Latino/Latinx residents who passed away each day, over a 14-day average, increased over 1,100%, from 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people in early November when the surge began, to 40 deaths per 100,000 people on January 15. Over this same period, the mortality rate among African American/Black residents increased nearly 2,000%, from less than 1 death per 100,000 people to 20 deaths per 100,000 people. Deaths increased 3,300% among Asian residents, from 0.5 deaths per 100,000 people in early November to 17 deaths per 100,000 people. The current mortality rate among White residents is 14 deaths per 100,000 people, up 1,400% from about 1 death per 100,000 people in early November.

We continue to see a high mortality rate among people living in areas with the highest levels of poverty, with three times the death rate compared to people living in the lowest levels of poverty.

Public Health takes seriously the mission to address disproportionate impacts on health.  The County is working at increasing access to medical care and ensuring that every individual, family and community has the resources needed and necessary to survive this pandemic. Individuals and families living in the hardest hit communities remain a priority for us as we move forward, especially when it comes to vaccinations.

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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