Nearly All Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in Los Angeles County Occurring in those Unvaccinated

Public Health Monitors for Variants of Concern as Metrics Slightly Increase

10 New Deaths and 314 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

From December 7, 2020, when vaccinations first became available, to June 7, 2021, 99.6% of the County’s nearly 437,000 COVID-19 cases were individuals who were unvaccinated. There were nearly 12,900 COVID-19 hospitalizations over this time period, 98.7% occurred among people who were unvaccinated.  Among the 12,234 COVID-19 deaths across L.A. County during this period, 99.8% were among unvaccinated people.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 10 new deaths and 314 new cases of COVID-19.  Of the 10 new deaths reported today, seven people that passed away were between the ages of 65 and 79 and one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64. Two deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,248,415 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,465 deaths. There are 234 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,983,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. The County’s daily test positivity rate is 0.74% and the daily average case rate is 1.74 cases per 100,000 people.

After a period of persistent declines in many metrics, L.A. County is starting to see small increases in cases, hospitalizations, and daily test positivity. This is a signal that the virus is still here and that even now everyone needs to be careful to mask and maintain a distance from people outside your households, if not yet vaccinated. The County’s recovery is best supported by continuing to take sensible safety precautions that prevent increases in community transmission.

Although transmission rates remain relatively low, Public Health continues to track the proliferation of variants of concern, because where there are pockets of unvaccinated individuals, these variants can proliferate. In the United States, the Delta variants have become increasingly prevalent among the strains sequenced: the CDC notes that Delta variants account for almost 21% of cases across the country.  Public Health is especially concerned about this variant because it appears to be highly transmissible – that is, it is more contagious even than other highly contagious COVID-19 variants.

In the week ending June 12, Delta variants comprised of nearly 48% of all variants sequenced in Los Angeles County.  The 123 Delta variants collected between April 21 and June 12 are geographically clustered. Forty-nine of these cases were isolated from residents of Palmdale and Lancaster, and 14 of these cases are associated with one household. About half of the people with a Delta variant lived in a household with at least one other Delta variant case.  While fully vaccinated people appear to be well protected from infections with Delta variants, people with only one vaccine are not as well-protected.

As of June 20, more than 10,222,171 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across Los Angeles County. Of these, 5,734,611 were first doses and 4,487,560 were second doses. Among L.A. County residents 16 and over, 67% have received one dose of vaccine and 58% have been fully vaccinated. Among L.A. County seniors 65 and over, 87% have received one dose of vaccine and 75% have been fully vaccinated.

“To those of you who have lost friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers to this virus, please know that our thoughts and hearts are with you during this difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are so glad to be able to gather for food and fun again. Although many safety measures have been lifted, we remain responsible collectively for keeping each other safe. The best way to prepare for the Fourth of July holiday is to be vaccinated. That way, keeping cookouts safe is much simpler:  When everyone at a gathering is vaccinated, you can gather outdoors or inside without wondering who would be safer wearing a mask or keeping a distance. However, if any of the guests at your gathering are unvaccinated or immunocompromised, they should wear masks except when eating and drinking and keep a distance from people in other households when indoors. Outdoors, unvaccinated guests don’t need to mask unless the gathering is crowded with other unvaccinated guests.”

From May 20 to June 20, the County continues to see gaps in vaccination coverage in adults 16 and over with 44% of Black adults and 53% of Latinx adults receiving at least one dose compared to 65% of White residents and 74% of Asian residents.  Although the County is glad to see that Black and Latinx residents were on the higher end of relative percent increases in vaccination, with a 7.7% jump among Black residents and an 8.2% jump among Latinx residents, larger increases are required to close the gaps.

Beginning tomorrow, Friday, June 25 through next Thursday, July 1 at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of two packages, each containing season passes to Six Flags, the LA Zoo, the Natural History Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, and ticket packs to the California Science Center.  Official rules and participating site locations will be posted on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page online tomorrow. The Pepe Aguilar at the Staples Center and Universal Studios Hollywood VIP Experience vaccination sweepstakes is currently in effect through the end of the day today.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. 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.

COVID-19 Sector Protocols, Best Practices, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, 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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