L.A. County Case Rate Decreases for Second Straight Week; Public Health Offers In-Home Vaccinations for Homebound Residents

43 New Deaths and 2,741 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

While transmission in L.A. County remains at a high level, the 7-day cumulative case rate decreased 16% from last week to 159 new cases per 100,000 residents. This is the second week in a row with small decreases in the County’s case rate. Overall, the County has seen a 22% decrease from the peak of 204 cases per 100,000 on August 19.

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 43 new deaths and 2,741 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 43 new deaths reported today, five people who passed away were over the age of 80, 16 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 14 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Four deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach. To date, Public Health identified 1,412,240 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,364 deaths.

There are 1,673 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, a decrease of 58 people over the past week.  Testing results are available for nearly 8,164,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 2.9%, a slight increase from last week’s same-day rate of 2.7%. With increased routine screening testing, Public Health anticipates case numbers may increase again.

As of August 29, 91% of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 75% of residents 16 and over and 75% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-five percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Sixty-two percent of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17 received at least one dose and 51% are fully vaccinated. Countywide, almost 36,000 third doses have been administered to immunocompromised people. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 64% have received at least one dose, and 56% are fully vaccinated.

Public Health continues its strategy for improving access to vaccines by having mobile vaccination teams take vaccines to places where people are not yet vaccinated. This week, mobile teams are offering vaccines at 480 sites, many of which are concentrated in higher-need, harder hit areas. County mobile vaccine teams work to get vaccinations into neighborhood places where people gather and are eager to make vaccines easily available to you.

Ensuring vaccine access to vulnerable residents is one of Public Health’s highest priorities, and the County’s in-home vaccination program offers home visits to provide vaccines to those unable to leave their homes. The County has so far vaccinated 2,000 homebound residents through this program to date, and the County is also offering additional doses for immunocompromised residents through this program.

Residents who are homebound can refer themselves to this program. Caregivers, family members and loved ones, healthcare providers, organizations, and others can also make referrals. On the vaccine website, residents who are homebound can click “In-home vaccination” in the menu to submit a request, or call us at 1-833-540-0473 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. seven days a week. Public Health is able to take calls in multiple languages.

“To everyone who has lost friends and family during this difficult time, we are wishing you peace and comfort, and our prayers are with you.” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we enter Labor Day weekend, many of us will have opportunities to engage in a variety of activities with friends and family, and many of us will be asking ourselves whether it’s safe for us to do the things we want to do. When making plans, think about your own personal risk and the different factors that increase the risk associated with the activities you want to do. As you assess your personal risk, remember that if you live with others, there is additional risk for each person in your household. The more sensible protections – like getting vaccinated, masking, and distancing – that you and those in your household have, the safer you are not only personally but for the benefit of those you love. Other protections might involve modifying the activity itself, like opening some windows or doors, or encouraging your friends to move a gathering outside where you can all spread out. The higher your personal risk, and the higher the risk of the activity, the more important it is to layer in additional protections before going out to enjoy all that L.A. County has to offer.”

Among the nearly 5.3 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 37,614 people fully vaccinated who tested positive for COVID-19 as of August 31. While this is an increase of 15% from last week, less than 1% of all those vaccinated have become infected with COVID-19. Of those who tested positive, 1,049 were hospitalized, up from 881 the week prior. This translates to 0.02% of all fully vaccinated people were hospitalized. Deaths in this group over this interval increased, from 95 to 118, to 0.0022%. These small increases are evidence that the vaccines do not provide 100% protection from infection, hospitalizations, and deaths. When community transmission is high, more fully vaccinated people are likely to get infected. These numbers also show while vaccines are imperfect, people who are fully vaccinated are extremely well protected from COVID-19 related hospitalization and death.

Public Health encourages everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. 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 at vaccination sites, 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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