COVID-19 Hospitalizations Nearly Double in Two Weeks

2,919 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and 6 New Deaths

In the past two weeks, Los Angeles County has seen a near-doubling in the number of people hospitalized each day for COVID-19 illness. There are 1,437 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized; on Monday, July 26 there were 745 people hospitalized with COVID-19.

The majority of the increase has been among unvaccinated people, while hospitalizations remain very low among vaccinated people. Between May 1 and July 17, 3,158 people were hospitalized in Los Angeles County; 92% of those hospitalized were not fully vaccinated.

Today, Public Health confirms 2,919 new cases of COVID-19 and 6 deaths. The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend.

Of the six new deaths reported today, one person who passed away was over the age of 80, one person who died was between the ages of 65 and 79, three people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and one death is under investigation. To date, Public Health identified 1,329,262 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,783 deaths.

Testing results are available for nearly 7,520,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 4.4%; a small decrease from last week’s rate of 6.0%.

“We send our deepest condolences to everyone across our County mourning a family member or friend who has passed away due to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The significant increase in hospitalizations is of great concern. With the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, we are hopeful that more people will get vaccinated during this time of very high transmission. Throughout this pandemic, people who live with chronic illnesses have suffered serious outcomes of COVID-19 infection.  Because chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity dramatically increase the risk of getting severely ill or dying with COVID-19 infection, vaccination is particularly important for people living with these conditions. Everyone eligible for vaccination is urged to get vaccinated, especially if you have any chronic health conditions. Please talk with your healthcare provider if you have concerns about getting vaccinated.”

Public Health will host a Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 on Wednesday, August 11, at 6:00 p.m. Join the town hall to get the latest updates on COVID-19. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: TinyURL.com/LACountyTownHall.

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.

To find a vaccination site near you, 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.

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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