COVID-19 Deaths Remain High; L.A. County Urges Residents Not to Gather for Super Bowl Weekend

226 New Deaths and 4,761 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in

Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 226 new deaths and 4,761 new cases of COVID-19.  To date, Public Health identified 1,138,764 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 17,764 deaths.

Gathering with people outside of your household, especially in settings where people are shouting, chanting, or singing and not distancing can easily lead to increased cases of COVID-19, serious illness, and more deaths. Public Health recommends residents to play it safe and enjoy the Super Bowl with people you currently live with, and to connect virtually with other friends and family who live outside of your household.  Please do not gather with people from outside your household to watch the Super Bowl.

Public Health officials are closely monitoring the number of deaths.  More than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths have been reported since Monday. Even as cases and hospitalizations decline, deaths may remain high for two more weeks.

Of the 226 new deaths reported today, 70 people who passed away were over the age of 80, 83 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 37 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, 18 people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29, and one death is under investigation.  Eleven deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and five death were reported by the City of Pasadena.

There are 4,796 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are in the ICU.  Testing results are available for more than 5,573,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 8.6%.

“We wish healing and peace to the families mourning their loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I want to remind everyone how important it is to celebrate the Super Bowl only with members of your household.  This fall and winter, we learned painful and tragic lessons about how gatherings and celebrations lead to transmission of COVID-19 that ultimately results in a great deal of serious illness and death. While we continue efforts to ensure that vaccine makes it into more arms, we implore everyone to stay home as much as possible, to not gather, and to do everything you can to prevent transmission of the virus. Please do the right thing: wait your turn for a vaccine and allow those eligible for the vaccine to register and be vaccinated.”

More than 1,051,000 COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the county. Of those vaccinated, 204,449 people have received second doses. Every person vaccinated is guaranteed their second dose.

Next week there will be 360 vaccination sites operating in L.A. County, including vaccination sites operated by L.A. County, LA City, hospitals, pharmacies, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Due to the limited supply of vaccine, appointments fill up fast and the majority of appointments at the large capacity vaccination sites are booked for second doses.  We are hopeful in the coming weeks that more vaccine will become available. Yesterday, Johnson and Johnson submitted an application for Emergency Use Authorization to the FDA and we look forward to reviewing the data.

Please don’t sign up to be vaccinated if it is not your turn.  You are taking away an appointment from a high risk person and are unlikely to be vaccinated when you show up for the appointment if it isn’t your turn.

Public Health urges eligible residents to check www.VaccinateLACounty.com regularly for appointments. Residents with internet access and a computer should use the website to sign up for an appointment when eligible or to see when their turn is coming up.

The call center is available and reserved for people with disabilities or who don’t have a computer or internet access.  For those without access to a computer or the internet, or with disabilities, the call center is open to help schedule appointments daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 833-540-0473.  The call center uses the same system as the online system and is a low-tech way for those with accessibility needs and older people who may not have a computer or a smart phone, to make an appointment.

As more people are vaccinated, the County will be watching very closely to assess progress in ensuring equitable distribution of the vaccine. Residents should remain diligent in adhering to the physical distancing, face masking, and other precautions necessary to prevent spread of the virus, even after being vaccinated.

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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