As COVID-19 Rates Decrease Overall, More than 10 Million Vaccine Doses Administered in L.A. County

3 New Deaths and 124 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As of June 18, 10,183,455 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,717,803 were first doses and 4,465,652 were second doses. Among L.A. County residents 16 and over, 67% have received one dose of vaccine and 58% are fully vaccinated.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 3 new deaths and 124 new cases of COVID-19. The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Of the three new deaths reported today, one person that passed away was over the age of 80, and two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79.

To date, Public Health identified 1,247,742 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,444 deaths. There are 213 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for nearly 6,960,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 0.7%.

The County continues to see significant decreases in overall rates, but the rates are not distributed equally among racial and ethnic groups. On May 15, the were 46 cases among every 100,000 Black residents, with much lower numbers among Latinx (27 cases per 100,000 people), White (24 cases per 100,000 people), and Asian (11 cases per 100,000 people) residents. On June 12, one month later, the case rate had decreased among all of residents, but still remained highest among Black residents, with a rate of 40 cases per 100,000 people. While case incidence rates decreased in White (16 cases per 100,000 people) and Asian (6 cases per 100,000 people) residents by one-half to one-third, they decreased by only 15 to 25 percent in Black and Latinx (21 cases per 100,000 people) residents.

Death rates have followed a somewhat similar pattern. On May 15, the rate of 1.6 deaths for every 100,000 Black residents was more than twice the death rate in all other groups. A month later, death rates had decreased dramatically in all groups – and while the death rate in Black residents had decreased by three-quarters to 0.4 deaths for every 100,000 residents, it was now 4 times higher than the death rate of 0.1 in Asian residents and twice as high as the death rate of 0.2 in White residents. The death rate among Latinx was 0.3 per 100,000 people.

“We give our deepest condolences to those of you who are grieving the loss of a loved one, a friend, or a co-worker during this pandemic. Our hearts and thoughts are with you at this time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Currently, this is a pandemic of unvaccinated people, who are at increasing risk for unknowingly incubating Delta variants and other variants of concern. Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect workers and other people you have contact with in your daily life. When you’re vaccinated, you’re a lot less likely to catch COVID-19 to begin with – and even if you do, you’re a lot less likely to have enough virus in your system that you can spread it easily to others. Vaccination remains the key to protecting everyone in our community.”

To make it as easy as possible for eligible L.A. County residents to get vaccinated, L.A. County continues to offer vaccines at many different sites across the county. This week, there are 767 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 County-run sites, 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.

This week there are 247 sites where mobile teams will be offering vaccinations which are concentrated in higher-need, harder hit areas. Now that L.A. County has fully reopened, the County is continuing to direct resources toward mobile vaccination sites out of a sense of urgency to vaccinate as many residents as possible. For many people, being able to get your vaccine at a place you know that’s in your neighborhood makes it much more convenient.

Last Thursday, the Cal/OSHA standards board voted to pass a modified set of emergency temporary standards for COVID-19 prevention in workplaces. The Governor immediately issued an executive order to make these standards effective last Friday. Cal/OSHA standards now require face coverings only in specific situations for specific employees. Masks are required for all unvaccinated employees when indoors or in shared vehicles. Employees who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks at most indoor workplaces.  To permit this at the workplace, employers must document the vaccination status of those employees. The State Public Health Officer has ordered that all persons, regardless of vaccination status, wear their face covering on public transit and in transportation hubs; indoors while inside K-12 schools, childcare, camps and other youth settings; in healthcare settings, including long term care facilities; in state and local correctional facilities and detention centers; and in homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers; and indoors at mega-events with more than 5,000 attendees. The new standards also eliminate everyday physical distancing requirements.

Public Health inspectors will be out over the next few weeks ensuring compliance with Cal/OSHA standards and providing technical assistance.  Violations of safety requirements can be reported anonymously to Public Health by phone at 888-700-9995 or online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

The best way unvaccinated workers can be protected is by wearing an appropriate face covering when at work, especially when indoors, and when outdoors and unable to physically distance. Wearing a surgical mask dramatically decreases the number of aerosol particles that a person breathes in. Surgical masks also protect others in the case the wearer has an infection they are not aware of.  For workers who are at higher risk, either due to an underlying illness or unavoidable close contact with people indoors, there is the option of upgrading to a respirator mask. Respirators, such as N95 or KN95 masks, are masks that have met a special standard and filters out smaller particles than that the surgical mask allows in.

Although much of the responsibility for protecting unvaccinated workers rests with employers and employees, customers also play a vital role. Wearing a mask when you enter a place of business protects not only you but everyone inside, especially unvaccinated employees. It’s especially important if you are unvaccinated that you always wear a mask when entering public places.  If you’re sick, avoid entering businesses at all until you feel better.

For more information on the County reopening including masking requirements, travel guidance, best practices, and remaining sector protocols, visit: www.ReopeningLACounty.com

Through Thursday, June 24 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA City 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 one of three prizes: two 17-ticket packages to see Pepe Aguilar at the Staples Center this November, and one VIP Experience for 20 people at Universal Studios Hollywood. Official rules and participating site locations can be found on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page online.

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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