COVID-19 Transmission Remains Low as Los Angeles County Reopens; 56% of Residents are Fully Vaccinated

6 New Deaths and 210 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 6 new deaths and 210 new cases of COVID-19.  Of the six new deaths reported today, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,246,619 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,416 deaths. There are 218 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 20% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,910,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive.

At the peak of the pandemic the County was losing 277 residents a day. Hospitals were under enormous strain, with more than 8,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and there were more than 15,000 new cases diagnosed each day.

L.A. County is in a better place than any other metro area of similar size in the entire nation. Each day, on average, only 1.5 cases per 100,000 people are diagnosed in L.A. County, compared with 2.8 cases in the same population in the New York City metro area, 2.9 cases in Chicago, 3.5 cases in Atlanta, 5.3 cases in Houston, and 9.1 cases in Miami. Only 0.4% of COVID-19 tests in L.A. County are positive, compared with 0.8% in New York, 1.3% in Chicago, 1.7% in Atlanta, 3.3% in Houston, and 3.7% in Miami.

Over the past six months, the tremendous effort to get the vaccine into the arms of residents has gotten the County to a place where as of June 11, more than 5,490,637 (66%) of eligible L.A. County residents have received one dose of the vaccine and 4,668,783 (56%) are fully vaccinated.

“I know so many of us will forever grieve the family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors we’ve lost. We share in your heartbreak, and we know that the path to recovery will be a very difficult one for so many,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “After 16 months of enormous upheaval and loss, we can now move forward with a genuine sense of hope. We can and should feel joy while recognizing and honoring the immense collective effort that brought us to the point where we can fully reopen. We remain committed to protecting your health and to closing gaps in health outcomes associated with COVID-19. Case counts and transmission are low because of our shared efforts to implement a layered approach to preventing transmission.  As we reopen, we are mindful that for those not yet vaccinated, protection is highly dependent on our continued actions to take care of each other. Sensible protections for our essential workforce will be instrumental in keeping transmission of COVID-19 in check.”

As of today, workplaces remain under the current Cal/OSHA standards which continue to require distancing and masking for all employees. The Cal/OSHA standards board may vote on proposed modifications to the current standards on Thursday.

Masks are also required for everyone regardless of vaccination status on public transit and in transportation hubs; indoors in K-12 schools, child care and other youth settings; healthcare settings, including long term care facilities; state and local correctional facilities and detention centers; and homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers.

People who are not fully vaccinated, including all children between the ages of 2 and 12, are required to wear masks at all indoor public settings and businesses; this includes retail, restaurants, theatres, family entertainment centers, meetings, and state and local government offices serving the public.

Everyone can remove their masks outdoors, except people who are not fully vaccinated attending large outdoor events – they should stay masked.  Additionally, everyone has a right to wear a mask; a person may not be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation/entry into a business.

To stay in this good place with low COVID-19 transmission after reopening, we need to continue to get vaccines and high-quality information to people who aren’t yet vaccinated. Public Health is partnering with businesses and community-based and faith-based organizations countywide, with mobile vaccination teams making nearly 270 visits each week to the places where people shop, worship, and gather.

Unvaccinated people need to remain very careful and wear masks when they are around people outside their household, and if in close contact with others, including at worksites, they should consider upgrading their masks to a respirator, such as an N95, or a KN95.  These masks do a much better job protecting the wearer from other people’s germs.

For anyone that gets sick, you need to take the right steps to prevent further spreading the virus. That means getting tested if you have symptoms, staying home and keeping a distance from people in your households, especially unvaccinated people, and working with the County’s contact tracers to help protect others.

Public Health continues to urge unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Through Thursday, June 17 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA city and mobile sites, 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 season tickets to the 2021-2022 home season of the Clippers, the Rams, or the Chargers. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page.  Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

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, 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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