Public Health Urges Vigilance to Prevent Increased COVID-19 Infection

85 New Deaths and 4,223 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirmed 85 new deaths and 4,223 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,120,895 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 16,854 deaths.

The seven-day average number of daily cases peaked on January 8 with more than 15,000 cases.  As of January 27, the seven-day average of new cases decreased 67% to 5,093.

There are 5,398 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU.  Daily hospitalizations decreased 30% from the peak of 8,000 daily hospitalizations in early-January. This is still significantly higher than pre-surge daily hospitalizations.  Before the surge, between mid-September and late-October, the daily number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was under 800 people.

Residents over 80 years old have consistently experienced the highest rates of hospitalization among all age groups in L.A. County followed by residents 65 to 79 years old, and residents 50 to 64 years old. Recent data indicates obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are the most common underlying health conditions among people hospitalized with COVID-19. Many people have multiple underlying health conditions.

Public Health cautions Los Angeles County is at a critical moment in the pandemic. The revised Los Angeles County Health Officer Order, issued on Friday, is a detailed blueprint for everyone, businesses and individuals, to ensure we see a continued downward trend in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. The County remains in the most restrictive state tier – purple – because the number of new daily cases remain very high and transmission of COVID-19 is widespread throughout our county. Unfortunately, not adhering to Health Officer Orders will likely cause another increase in cases that we can’t tolerate.

Public Health encourages all residents and anyone who visits a restaurant or a retail outlet, or works onsite at a job in the county, to do their part.  Because the COVID-19 virus remains very widespread in L.A. County and thousands of people continue to be infected every day, we ask that you stay home as much as possible.

Public Health has a tip line to report any violations of the safety protocols outlined in the Health Officer Order. Violations can be reported anonymously at 888-700-9995 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays. To report violations online, visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.  Public Health will take action and issue citations for violations, and repeat violations may result in business closure.

Of the 85 new deaths reported today, 36 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 24 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 21 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.

Testing results are available for more than 5,518,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive.

“Our thoughts and our prayers remain with everyone who is mourning the loss of a loved one or a friend.  You have our condolences and we wish you strength and healing during these difficult times,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are all still living through the nightmare of this surge; last week, on average, 217 people died each day from COVID-19, and two days last week, we reported that more than 300 people died each day. Now is the time to remain super vigilant against this deadly virus and continue to stay home as much as possible. Please stay home on Super Bowl Sunday.  For the moment, we are headed in a positive direction in bringing our cases down – the last thing we need right now are super-spreader events that set us back and potentially could lead to more cases, serious illness and tragic deaths. Only through the actions of each business and each individual in L.A. County can we continue to see a reduction in transmission.  In order to move forward in our recovery, everyone must play by the rules that are in place to keep all of us as safe as possible.”

As of January 25, the cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses received in L.A. County were nearly 1,000,000 and by the end of that week, 80% or nearly 800,000 doses had been administered.  Los Angeles County has administered more doses of vaccine and have vaccinated a higher percentage of our population to date than any other large county or large city in the U.S.

Last week, the County received just 146,000 doses and a large percentage were reserved for second doses.  More than 85,000 appointments have been reserved for second dose vaccine administration at county sites through February 19.  People who were vaccinated at one of the five large capacity County sites or one of the smaller county-operated community sites are receiving emails notifying them of the date and place for their second dose appointment. People vaccinated at LA City sites or other clinics should also be notified about their second dose appointment.

Last week, the State announced that it is transitioning to a more centralized distribution system managed by a third-party administrator, Blue Shield of California.  We are working with the State to ensure efficient and equitable distribution of vaccine.

The biggest challenge remains not having enough vaccine for those eligible to be vaccinated.

For information about vaccines in L.A. County, when your turn is coming up and to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com. Residents with internet access and a computer are urged to use the website to sign up as appointments become available.  For those without access to a computer or the internet or with disabilities, a call center is open to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473, daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

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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