Public Health Continues Tracking Variants of Concern in L.A. County and Around the Country; Studies Show Vaccine Appears to Be Effective Against Variants

17 New Deaths and 583 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Today, Public Health has confirmed 17 new deaths and 583 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. The higher number of reported cases today is due to a backlog from a single provider that reported over 300 positive lab results from January. In total, Public Health has identified 1,236,988 cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and 24,074 deaths.

Of the 17 new deaths reported today, nine people that passed away were over the age of 80, five people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two 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 366 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,624,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.5%.

Public Health continues to track and study variants of COVID-19 in the County. Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, changes constantly through mutation, and the more transmission there is of the virus, the more mutations there will be. The two most commonly circulating variants of concern in L.A. County have been, and remain, the UK (B.1.1.7) and California (B.1.427/429) variants. Of the 79 specimens analyzed by the L.A. County Public Health Laboratory in the past week, 35% were the UK variant and 6% were the California variant. The lab also detected 11 Brazil (P.1) variants last week, a significant increase from prior sequencing results.

The identification of these variants and the news of spreading variants from across the globe highlights the need for L.A. County residents to continue to take measures to protect themselves and others; this is particularly true for those who are not vaccinated who can end up unknowingly being incubators of variants of concern. If you are not yet vaccinated or unable to get vaccinated, please continue to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance when around others not in your household and consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. All of the information currently available indicates that vaccines appear to be highly effective in preventing transmission, hospitalizations, and deaths, even with the increased presence of variants.

“While we are grateful that our case numbers continue to remain low and stable, there are still many families in our County that are experiencing the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. For those grieving right now, we wish you healing and peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Across the world and here in California, we remain troubled by the proliferation of variants of concern. These variants, which are more infectious and deadly than other strains, are a good reason for those not vaccinated to get vaccinated. People who are vaccinated have a powerful layer of protection. In large studies that involved a diverse mix of people, all three vaccines were shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, including severe illness and death. In addition, current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against most variants and significantly reduce the risk of becoming infected.”

Public Health continues to offer vaccinations without appointments at County-run vaccination sites while supply lasts. Anyone 12 years and older living or working in Los Angeles County can now get vaccinated without booking an appointment (teens 12 to 17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Registration for COVID-19 appointments will be completed on-site.

If you live or work in L.A. County and want a vaccine but are having a hard time getting away from work to get one, you can express interest in having a mobile vaccine unit come out to your business or workplace to provide vaccines to groups of employees. To express interest in a mobile vaccination team to visit you, complete the form on the vaccination site at, www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

Public Health will host a Vaccine Town Hall for Parents on Tuesday, May 18, at 6:00 p.m. Join the town hall to get the latest updates on the COVID-19 vaccine, including information for children. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: tinyurl.com/VaxTownHall4Parents.

Public Health is committed on ensuring an equitable distribution of vaccines and ensuring eligible residents and workers in hard hit communities have increased access to vaccines. For information about who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in L.A. County, how to make an appointment if it is your turn, what you will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com  (Spanish). Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

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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