L.A. County Exceeds 22,000 COVID-19 Deaths; New MIS-C Cases in Children Confirmed

98 New Deaths and 1,823 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County has surpassed the grim milestone of more than 22,000 total COVID-19 deaths. To date, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) identified 1,201,866 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 22,008 deaths. Today, Public Health has confirmed 98 new deaths and 1,823 new cases of COVID-19.

Public Health is reporting 16 additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), bringing the total cases in L.A. County to 116 children including one child death. All 116 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 41% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 29% were under the age of 5 years old, 43% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 28% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children account for 75% of the reported cases.

MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 and 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.

There are 1,264 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU.

Of the 98 new deaths reported today, 36 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 34 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 21 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 and six people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, One death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a love one to this pandemic and we keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Today’s grim millstone reminds us of the human toll of this pandemic and how actions affect cases, hospitalizations and deaths several weeks from now. As we move into spring and temperatures in Los Angeles County warm up, many people will be out of taking advantage of our beautiful county. I ask you do so responsibly by avoiding large gatherings and crowds, always wearing your mask, and at this time, postponing non-essential travel.”

Testing results are available for nearly 5,885,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 1.9%.  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. If you are or someone you know is having severe symptoms including difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, inability to wake or stay awake and/or bluish lips or face, call 911 or go to the emergency room.

L.A. 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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