L.A. County’s LAFC and LA Dodgers Vaccination Sweepstakes Begins Friday; L.A. County Works to Improve Vaccine Access

9 New Deaths and 120 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Beginning this Friday, June 4 to next Thursday, June 10 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA city and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get their first vaccine or who brings a first-time vaccine recipient with them to their second dose appointment, will have an opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the 2021-2022 home season of either the LA Football Club soccer team or the LA Dodgers. The LA Kings or the LA Galaxy season tickets sweepstakes is currently in effect through tomorrow, Thursday, June 3. Official rules and participating site locations will be posted on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page online this Friday.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 9 new deaths and 120 new cases of COVID-19.  Of the nine new deaths reported today, one person that passed away was over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49.

To date, Public Health identified 1,244,254 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,354 deaths.  There are 254 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 19% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,776,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.5%. Case numbers and other metrics continue to remain low and stable.

As of May 28, more than 9,382,912 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,397,616 were first doses and 3,985,296 were second doses. These numbers decreased slightly compared with last week because of the recategorization done by the State of doses administered by certain organizations to non-L.A. County locations. Although this change impacted the number of doses administered countywide, it did not impact the numbers of L.A. County residents vaccinated: more than 5.3 million L.A. County residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, while more than 4.3 million are fully vaccinated.

“We extend our deepest condolences to everyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one, a friend, or a co-worker and are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Together, we’ve made L.A. County one of the best places in the country to avoid getting COVID-19 and I thank everyone who’s made that possible by getting themselves, their loved ones and friends vaccinated and by staying masked and distanced when needed. Vaccinations are clearly our best tool for keeping case rates down. The most important action step each person 12 and older can take to get ready for our full-re-opening on June 15 is getting vaccinated.”

The County continues to offer vaccines at many different sites across the county to make it as easy as possible for eligible L.A. County residents to get vaccinated. This week, there are 765 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. 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.

One of County’s primary strategies for improving access to vaccines is deploying additional mobile vaccination teams that take vaccines into neighborhoods to reach people who may have limited ability or time to get to one of the established vaccination sites. There are 188 sites where mobile teams will be offering vaccinations this week which are concentrated in higher-need, harder hit areas.

Although 53% of L.A. County residents 16 and older are now fully vaccinated, only a little more than a third of Black and just 38% of Latinx residents are fully protected compared to 54% of White residents and 61% of Asian residents. Fifty-five percent of Black and 58% of Latinx seniors 65 and older are fully protected, compared with 67% Asian and 70% of White seniors.

The L.A. County residents who are getting vaccinated at the lowest rates are also the ones seeing the highest rates of infection, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19. Black residents have the highest two-week case incidence rate among the county’s racial and ethnic groups, with 37 of every 100,000 people infected between May 9 and May 22. Black residents also had the highest rate of hospitalization, 8 people per 100,000, and the highest death rate, with almost 1 death per 100,000 people.

“These inequities reflect many complicated issues, including the distribution of resources and opportunities needed for optimal health.  And while we continue essential efforts to ensure good access to both vaccines and information about vaccine safety, we do need everyone’s help.  Each of us who are vaccinated can approach our unvaccinated friends, family, and neighbors with curiosity and humility about their vaccine decision-making process. We can share our own stories, share what it was that helped us make our decision, and keep the conversation going. We can offer our company and encouragement to get those in our community to any of the hundreds of vaccination sites across the county when people are ready to get their vaccines,” Dr. Ferrer said.

Public Health recommends testing for anyone with signs or symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status or recent infection. Testing is also recommended for unvaccinated people who have been in close contact with someone who has a confirmed COVID-19 infection or who has had a potential exposure.  Testing will be an essential part of the County strategy after June 15 to prevent outbreaks. Testing is still widely available across the county.

The CalOSHA standards board will meet tomorrow to determine the new COVID-19 prevention section requirements.  It will be important for all businesses to comply with all of the CalOSHA masking and distancing requirements at worksites past June 15.

After most sectors reopen fully on June 15, there will continue to be sector-specific protocols for schools, day cares, camps, hospitals, health care facilities, and high-risk congregate settings; these protocols will continue masking, distancing and infection control safety measures as appropriate. And while businesses may not be required to maintain distancing, masking, and infection control after June 15, Public Health recognizes that many businesses may want to continue some public health measures for the safety of their workers and customers. Public Health will be posting best practices next week to help businesses make plans and will provide more updates on these as they become available.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, 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, connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, 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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