COVID-19 Hospitalizations Decrease to Under 2,000; L.A. County Reaches 100 MIS-C Cases in Children

132 New Deaths and 2,072 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 132 new deaths and 2,072 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,187,474 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 21,102 deaths.

There are 1,988 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are in the ICU.  This is the first-time in three months that the daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is less than 2,000 when there were 2,049 hospitalizations reported on November 29.

Public Health is reporting 10 additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), bringing the total cases in L.A. County to 100 children including one child death. L.A. County has experienced more than a 77% increase in children with MIS-C this past month; on January 23, Public Health reported 62 children with MIS-C.  This increase in cases is a distressing delayed result of the surge we experienced in December and January. During the surge, there was a significant increase in children infected with COVID-19.  Most children with MIS-C were infected with COVID-19 at some point prior to a MIS-C diagnosis.

All 100 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 40% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 30% were under the age of 5 years old, 40% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 30% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children account for 71% of the reported cases.

MIS-C is a serious inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that affects children under 21 years old. 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.

Of the 132 new deaths reported today, 41 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 42 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 30 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and nine people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Eight deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and two deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena.

“To the many families mourning a loved one who passed away from COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We continue to experience the repercussions from the January surge in our increased number of children with MIS-C.  While case and hospitalization numbers have declined, COVID-19 remains widespread and deadly and variant cases are increasing. We still have more progress to make that will allow for further re-openings so please continue keeping your distance from others, wearing a mask correctly over both your nose and mouth, and washing your hands often.”

Testing results are available for more than 5,801,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive.  Today’s daily test positivity rate is 3.2%. Residents should get tested if they have symptoms or were exposed to someone who was positive and isolate immediately from your family and others if you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.  People with COVID-19, even if they have no symptoms, can be very infectious and pass the infection to others.

COVID-19 testing is available throughout L.A. County. Call your healthcare provider or check with your local pharmacy to get tested. If you need help finding a health care provider, call 2-1-1.  People who live in L.A. County, regardless of immigration status, can apply for an appointment for a drive through or walk up test by visiting covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/ or by calling 2-1-1.

COVID-19 vaccine remains limited. As more vaccine comes into L.A. County, the County is working to ensure that eligible residents and workers in the hardest hit communities have increased access to vaccines. For information about vaccine appointments in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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