Public Health to Launch Interactive Vaccine Tracker

27 New Deaths and 489 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 27 new deaths and 489 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,230,786 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,759 deaths.

Of the 27 new deaths reported today, 15 people that passed away were over the age of 80, eight people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49.

There are 451 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 24% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,398,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.8%.

Public Health will launch an Interactive Vaccine Tracker later today that allows users to quickly view areas with high and low vaccination rates and interactive graphs of daily and cumulative vaccination numbers. It will also allow the user to better understand inequities over time and across the county.  This is one of the first trackers in in the country with county-level data,  and can be viewed at: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

After a thorough safety review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they determined that the pause in the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine can be lifted and that use of the vaccine should resume. Vaccine providers in L.A. County with doses of the Janssen vaccine can resume administration of the vaccine tomorrow, provided they distribute the updated Janssen fact sheets to any recipients of the vaccine.  Public Health will be posting updated safety information about the Janssen vaccine shortly.

The decision comes after CDC’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed data related to the recent reports of a rare and severe type of blood clot that occurred in individuals after receiving the vaccine.  Based on their review of all available data, both the CDC and the FDA determined that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.   We are grateful to the scientists and clinicians conducting this thorough review and are confident moving forward in distributing and administering the vaccine.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Vaccination appointments are available at many sites, and it is important for people ages 16 and older to get vaccinated as soon as they can. Since vaccine eligibility recently expanded to include teens 16 and 17, over 47,000 L.A. County teens 16 and 17 years old have been vaccinated, almost 19% of that population. This is a great start, and we are hopeful that over the coming weeks, increased collaboration with schools and Federally Qualified Health Centers will steadily increase that number.”

More than 6,600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 4,254,160 were first doses, including 274,212 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before the pause in use last week, and 2,387,785 were second doses.

Next week, Public Health is expecting to receive approximately 296,000 vaccine doses; an 18% decrease from this week. Approximately 51% of next week’s vaccine supply will be for first doses and 49% will be for second doses. Of the 296,000 doses of vaccine the County expects to receive next week, 75% of doses will go to sites located in the most vulnerable communities.

As of April 20, 75% of L.A. County residents 65 and older have received at least one dose and 60% of residents 65 and older have been fully vaccinated.  Overall, 48% of L.A. County residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine and 30% have been fully vaccinated.

While there is good progress in increasing vaccination rates across the County, the County continues to see large geographic disparities. Many west-side communities have vaccination rates of 90% and other affluent areas have rates above 80%, while a significant number of the lower income communities have rates that fall below 50%. Rates remain lowest in south Los Angeles, east Los Angeles, east San Fernando Valley, the Antelope Valley, and pockets of the San Gabriel Valley and the Harbor Gateway region of Los Angeles.

Public Health continues to deploy mobile vaccination teams to get shots in arms in hard-hit communities. There are 111 mobile sites scheduled next week at various locations including at faith-based organizations, senior housing, food and agriculture sites, metro stations and at other community-based organizations. These mobile sites are critical to County efforts to distribute the vaccines equitably and vaccinate people in hard hit communities with either lower vaccination rates or lack of access.

Public Health is offering walk-in registration spots at County-run mass vaccination sites through Monday, April 26 while supply lasts.  Anyone 16 and older living or working in LA County can get vaccinated. You will need to bring a photo ID with you and teens 16 and 17 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration for COVID-19 appointments will be completed on-site.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com  (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites, what verifications people will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more. If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment. There may be an extended wait time to speak with an operator for help making an appointment during high demand times. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

Public Health will host a Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccines on Tuesday, April 27, at 6:00 p.m. Join the town hall to learn more and hear updates. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: tinyurl.com/DPHVaccineTownHall

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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