Protecting Children From COVID-19 Remains High Priority

More than 8 Million Vaccine Doses Administered in L.A. County, COVID-19 Daily Hospitalizations Drop Under 400; 
255 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported no new deaths and 255 new cases of COVID-19.  The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend. To date, Public Health has reported 1,233,985 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,914 deaths.

There are 390 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU. This is the first time hospitalizations dropped below 400 since the beginning of the pandemic.

COVID-19 testing results are available for nearly 6,520,000 individuals with 18% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.7%.

Los Angeles County continues to experience relatively low and stable case numbers, daily hospitalizations and consistently low daily test positivity averages.

As of April 30, more than 8,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 4,988,031 were first doses and 3,045,115 were second doses. With ample supply, our efforts are now focused on making it as easy as possible for everyone 16 and older to get their vaccine.

This week, there are 739 sites offering vaccinations including pharmacies, clinics, community sites, and hospitals. Many of these vaccination sites are concentrated in areas that have been hard hit by the pandemic. We want to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine if you live in these communities.  Currently, you can obtain vaccines at the 8 county run sites, and many of the community sites without an appointment.

Public Health continues to support mobile vaccination that take vaccinations into neighborhoods to reach people who may have limited ability or time to get to one of the established vaccination sites. In total there have been 1,315 sites were mobile teams have offered vaccinations in the past.  This week there are 126 mobile sites scheduled throughout L.A. County. The mobile vaccine team is working with partners such as markets, stores and Metro partners to establish some standing mobile vaccine sites at places that are central to these communities.

There are a total 56 school sites serving as vaccination sites where teens and their families can go and get vaccinated. Being able to vaccinate students, their families and community residents at schools is a very important strategy for reaching teens. Schools and health centers continue to work together to make this possible.

In early April, Pfizer submitted a request to the Food and Drug Administration to approve its vaccine for ages 12 to 15 years old. To prepare for this change, Public Health is urging providers to consider expanding the range of vaccines they are delivering to include Pfizer. The County is able to break up dose allocations of Pfizer into smaller numbers to help support any vaccine provider that is able to make this vaccine available to patients without the concern for waste.

“We extend our love and prayers to everyone who has lost loved ones during this tragedy and are hopeful that deaths continue to remain very low in the weeks ahead,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Our ability to maintain low numbers of cases, and correspondingly low numbers of hospitalizations and deaths, can be attributed in large part to the increased number of people vaccinated. There will be a time in the not-distant future when many of our children will be eligible for the vaccine. While we are all reminded daily about the powerful vaccines now available, for our children and others not yet vaccinated, masking is an essential tool in our effort to keep transmission rates low. Even if all the adult members of your family are vaccinated, mask together with your children as much as possible, specifically when at indoor gatherings or while in crowded outdoor places; this sets a good example making it easy for them to follow your lead.”

While children have not suffered the same levels of illness and deaths during the pandemic as adults, unfortunately the County has seen children get severely ill and hospitalized with COVID-19.  Similarly, hospitalizations in young people have risen and fallen alongside adult hospitalizations. At the high point in mid-December, pediatric hospitalizations peaked at 68 patients per week, compared to a peak of nearly 8,000 total patients hospitalized at the peak. In April, as more L.A. County schools have reopened, there has been a slight rise in youth hospitalizations from the recent low point. Protecting children from infection and complications, especially those not eligible for vaccinations, remains a high priority as we enter the summer months.

The County has seen fewer pediatric deaths than deaths of adults during this pandemic. Out of the nearly 24,000 total COVID-19 deaths, five children in L.A. County have died as a result of COVID-19 infection: one child in the 0-4 age group, and 4 children between the ages of 12 and 17. Two of these children died from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) complications.

Although most children who have MIS-C survive their illness, there have been 36 deaths from MIS-C nationally among 3,185 cases reported.  To date, Public Health has confirmed 180 children with MIS-C including two child deaths in L.A. County.

In L.A. County, the peak in reports of MIS-C occurred in late-January, about one month after the peak in adult COVID-19 cases. MIS-C has not affected all children in L.A. County equally. Although 56% of L.A. County’s pediatric population are Latino/Latinx, 74% of MIS-C cases occurred in Latinx children, while the rest are evenly divided between Black/African American and White children. Thirty-one percent of MIS-C cases occurred in children who are obese or overweight, while 9% occurred in children with chronic respiratory disease.

These disparities in the distribution of MIS-C highlight the need to ensure that we support preventive measures like distancing, infection control and masking at schools with particular care in communities where there are greater risks of COVID-19 transmission.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a site near you. Everyone 16 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, 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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