Public Health Warns In-Person Super Bowl Parties Can Derail County Recovery

256 New Deaths and 5,189 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 256 new deaths and 5,189 new cases of COVID-19.  To date, Public Health identified 1,129,503 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 17,308 deaths.

Today, Public Health has confirmed a third case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the variant discovered in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Presence of the B.1.1.7 variant in Los Angeles County means virus transmission can happen more easily, and residents and businesses must be more diligent at implementing and following all standard public health safety measures, including face coverings, distancing, and handwashing, put in place to prevent additional cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Public Health warns everyone of past tragic consequences of gatherings. In the weeks following every holiday, and many major sporting events, the County experienced increases in cases, and then hospitalizations and deaths. Public Health recommends residents enjoy the Super Bowl and cheer for their team from their home with those they live with. Residents should connect virtually with their friends and not gather with people from outside their household to watch the Super Bowl.

Of the 256 new deaths reported today, 69 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 92 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 51 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 24 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49.  Thirteen deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and seven deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

Testing results are available for nearly 5,543,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. There are 5,165 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU.

Along with the majority of the State, Los Angeles County is in the most restrictive purple tier in the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In order to move into the red tier and have additional opportunities for re-openings, L.A. County’s daily case rate must be at or below 7 new cases per 100,00 people and the County’s test positivity rate must be at or below 8%.  As of January 23, L.A. County’s adjusted case rate is 38.7 new cases per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate is 11.3%.

It is clear we have quite a way to go before transmission in our county is considered no longer widespread; hopefully, by following all the rules, we can continue to make good progress slowing the spread and moving into a less restrictive tier.

“We share our deepest condolences to everyone who is mourning the loss of a family member, a loved one or a friend. Our prayers are with you always,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Super Bowl parties have the power to derail our recovery and given the likelihood that there are more infectious variants circulating in our community, let’s not take chances with our own health and the health of others by creating easy opportunities for the virus to spread.  This weekend, we ask that you not share with others your respiratory droplets, which are more easily spread when we raise our voices, cheer, sing, and chant. The serious consequences of gathering indoors with people outside of your household to watch the Super Bowl is just not worth it.”

All skilled nursing facilities in the County received and administered their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Using Public Health strike teams and teams from Curative and the City of LA, we were able to reach all 340 skilled nursing facilities with first doses and are currently completing second doses.  About 75% of staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities have been vaccinated. Because of Public Health’s year-long efforts working with skilled nursing facilities to protect these highly vulnerable residents, the surge in cases that led to increased deaths among the general population did not have an equivalent steep increase in deaths among residents at skilled nursing facilities. For the week ending January 23, there were, on average, about 9 deaths a day at skilled nursing facilities, or about 6% of the total deaths in LA County from COVID-19.

People experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. They often don’t have a safe place to shelter away from others, lack access to medical resources and may have multiple chronic health conditions. Since reaching a peak of cases around the Christmas holiday, there has been a 52% reduction in cases among people experiencing homelessness; from about 461 weekly cases to 219 for the week ending January 23. This decrease seems to follow the overall decrease in cases in L.A. County. When the surge began, there were two deaths a week among people experiencing homelessness. At the peak of the surge, the County reported 17 deaths a week. For the week ending January 23, there were 11 deaths. Public Health has worked tirelessly with our partners at the Department of Health Services, Housing for Health, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19 infections.

Another highly vulnerable group are people who are incarcerated. Since this pandemic began, County, State and Federal authorities have worked to help reduce the potential for outbreaks at prisons and jail facilities in Los Angeles County. Cases among people who are incarcerated were very high at the beginning of the pandemic and increased again during the surge. Since the peak of 688 weekly cases in mid-December there has been a decline to three weekly cases for the period ending January 23.  For the week ending January 2, there were six deaths among incarcerated persons.  Since then, the weekly number of deaths have been between two and four people.

As the County moves through our vaccination program, we are constantly aligning our strategies to reach the most vulnerable. As a reminder, we are prioritizing vaccinating individuals 65 years and older, while working with our partners and the state to further plan for vaccinating additional workers in the prioritized groups. Given the limited weekly shipments, a limited vaccine supply requires balancing priorities. While the state is updating its distribution plans, the County must also look at how best to protect the most vulnerable with the goal of reducing mortality.  We ask for patience until we receive all the vaccine we need to get to everyone who wants to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccine remains very limited. Public Health’s www.VaccinateLACounty.com connects residents eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations to appointment registration links and much more. As appointments become available, residents with internet access and a computer are urged to use the website to sign up.  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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