COVID-19 Cases Among Healthcare Workers Increase in L.A. County; Public Health Confirms COVID-19 Death in a Child

16 New Deaths and 3,734 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As high transmission of COVID-19 continues, cases among healthcare workers have started to increase. After months of reporting fewer than 50 new cases among healthcare workers per week, weekly cases increased to 295 cases for the week ending July 17 and 275 cases for the week ending July 24. Since the pandemic began, 42,296 healthcare workers and first responders have tested positive for COVID-19.

As of mid-June, 68% of surveyed healthcare workers in L.A. County hospitals were fully vaccinated and currently, 85% of skilled nursing facility staff are fully vaccinated.

Given these relatively high rates of vaccination, the County has not seen significant increases in deaths among healthcare workers.  To date, 276 healthcare workers have tragically passed away from COVID-19, with almost all deaths occurring between July 2020 and February 2021. Since late-May, two healthcare workers passed away from COVID-19.

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 16 new deaths and 3,734 new cases of COVID-19.  Sadly, Public Health has confirmed one of today’s reported COVID-19 deaths is a young person under the age of 12. The child who passed away was hospitalized with COVID-19 and had underlying conditions.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,311,656 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,720 deaths. Out of the nearly 25,000 total COVID-19 deaths, six children in L.A. County have died of COVID-19 infection: 2 children under 12 years old and 4 children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Of the 16 new deaths reported today, six people that passed away were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29, and one youth under the age of 18.

Testing results are available for nearly 7,381,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 6.0%. There are 1,242 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 22% of these people are in the ICU. Daily hospitalizations continue to increase in L.A. County.

“Our hearts go out to everyone facing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19, and to the family who lost their child, I send you my deepest condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Protecting those not yet eligible for vaccinations, including children under 12, should be everyone’s top priority.  With high levels of transmission in the community and more people needing care from our healthcare providers, increasing vaccination rates among those eligible to get vaccinated is the best way to protect children under the age of 12.  Healthcare workers, in particular, should be fully vaccinated to ensure that those needing care, have reduced chances of an exposure. The vaccines continue to be our most powerful tool against COVID-19. We are finding that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people are nearly four times more likely to get infected than fully vaccinated individuals. I encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated if you are eligible, wear a mask in indoor public settings, move social activities outdoors as much as possible, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.”

Tonight at 6:00 p.m., Public Health will host the Los Angeles County COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall on Schools. Join the town hall to get the latest updates on COVID-19 and school re-openings. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: TinyURL.com/LACSchoolsTownHall.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinations are widely available throughout L.A. County and many sites are open on weekends and have evening hours. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a vaccination site near you, make an appointment 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.

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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