The County Marks 24,000 Deaths as Nearly 8.5 Million Vaccine Doses Administered in L.A. County

4 New Deaths and 179 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 4 new deaths and 179 new cases of COVID-19.  The lower number of cases and deaths may reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Of the 4 new deaths reported today, one person that passed away was over the age of 80, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29.

Today, the County reached the grim milestone of 24,003 deaths serving as a reminder of the devastation experienced over the past 15 months.

To date, Public Health identified 1,235,797 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. There are 389 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for nearly 6,590,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.6%.

The County’s case rate continues to remain low and stable. On May 2, the County saw 251 daily average reported cases, a 44% decrease from 447 on April 2, a month earlier. Hospitalizations decreased to 395 in May, down 35% from 607 in April. And on May 2, Public Health reported 3 daily average deaths, down 77% from 13 in April.

As of May 7, more than 8,492,810 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,146,142 were first doses and 3,346,668 were second doses.

The County is making progress vaccinating seniors in racial and ethnic groups hardest hit by the pandemic.  Sixty-two percent of Black/African American adults 65 or older have received at least one dose of vaccine, as have 64% of Latino/Latinx seniors, 71% of American Indian/Alaska Native seniors, and 76% of Asian seniors.  Seventy-eight percent of White residents have received at least one dose. Sixty-eight percent of residents 65 and older are fully vaccinated.

Although we are glad vaccine uptake has been robust among our seniors, not only do we see troubling gaps by race and ethnicity, we also have work to do in increasing uptake among younger populations.  Only 38% of Black residents 16 and older have been vaccinated, along with 42% of Latinx residents in this age group and 58% of American Indian/Alaska Native people.  This is compared to 60% among White residents 16 and older and 68% of Asian people in this age group. Although 16 and 17-year-olds have only been eligible for the vaccine since mid-April, vaccination in this group has slowed since that time, and about one-third of teens in this age group have been vaccinated.

Among adults 65 and over, nearly the same proportion of men (83%) and women (82%) are vaccinated. However, among people 16 and older there are disparities in vaccination by sex, with 62% of women having received at least one vaccine dose compared with 56% of men.

Today, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents 12 to 15 years of age. The Pfizer vaccine is already authorized for people 16 years old and older. Los Angeles County will offer the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirms the FDA recommendation, which can happen as early as Wednesday. All adolescents 12-17 will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to get vaccinated.

This week, there are 755 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 eight county-run sites, all the LA city run sites, almost all mobile sites and many of the community sites without an appointment.  Many sites are open on weekends and have evening hours.

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. These teams have set up ongoing daily sites to provide vaccines on a walk-in basis at public places such as metro stations, food markets and parks. This week there are 185 mobile sites scheduled throughout L.A. County.

The percentage of the population the County needs to vaccinate to achieve community immunity is unknown, however Public Health estimates it’s probably around 80%. Currently, 400,000 shots each week are getting into the arms of L.A. County residents, and there are over 2 million more first doses to go before 80% of all L.A. County residents 16 and older have received at least one shot. At this rate, Public Health expects the County will reach this level of community immunity in mid- to late July and that assumes the County continues to at least have 400,000 people vaccinated each week. That would include both first doses that people need as well as their second doses.

“We extend our love and prayers to everyone who has lost loved ones during this tragedy, and are hopeful that even as we collectively mourn our great losses, deaths will continue to remain low in the weeks ahead,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As Memorial Day and school graduation season comes near, I know many of you are planning travel, gatherings and parties to celebrate with the people you love. Just imagine how much more enjoyable those gatherings will be if you and your loved ones are vaccinated – you’ll really be able to have fun without worrying about spreading COVID-19. So as you’re making plans for food, drink, and decorations, make a plan to get vaccinated, too. Think ahead about how to get the most out of your summer fun by making sure you are fully vaccinated in advance.”

For all of the vaccines, you are only considered fully protected two weeks after all doses are complete. For the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that means you’re considered fully protected two weeks after your one shot. But for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both involve two shots several weeks apart, that means you’re only considered fully protected two weeks after your second shot.

To find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). 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 or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. 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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