As COVID-19 Transmission Remains Substantial, Public Health Underscores Getting Vaccinated

20 New Deaths and 1,427 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 20 new deaths and 1,427 new cases of COVID-19.

Of the 20 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, seven people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach. To date, Public Health identified 1,462,013 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,143 deaths.

As of September 30, Los Angeles County’s weekly case rate is 76 new cases per 100,000 residents, reflecting continued substantial transmission across the county.

There are 862 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 85 daily hospitalizations over the past week.

Testing results are available for nearly 8,700,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.3%.

Data continues to show that fully vaccinated people remain very well protected from the worst outcomes of infection with this virus – and this drives the County’s urgency to reach as many residents as possible with the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines.  Among the nearly 5.6 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 55,259 people fully vaccinated who tested positive for COVID-19 as of September 28; about 1% of all those vaccinated have become infected with COVID-19. Of those who tested positive, 1,884 were hospitalized, up from 1,732 the week prior. This translates to 0.03% of all fully vaccinated people were hospitalized. Deaths in this group over this interval increased, from 229 to 257, to 0.005%.

Out of all our nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 66% have received at least one dose, and 59% are fully vaccinated.  Countywide, nearly 106,000 additional/booster doses have been administered by L.A. County providers. Most of those doses have gone to people who are immunocompromised.

“To everyone facing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19, our hearts go out to you and we send you our prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As the nation mourns the loss of over 700,000 family members, co-workers, and friends who died from COVID related illness, we remain focused on bringing the vaccine to unvaccinated individuals, especially those with risk factors associated with increased risk of severe illness. Getting our entire community vaccinated is perhaps the best way to acknowledge how profoundly connected we are to each other for our individual and collective well-being during a pandemic. At County vaccination sites today, there are dozens of teens coming in to get their first or second doses, and dozens of older people, school teachers, and healthcare workers getting their Pfizer boosters.  With hundreds of vaccination clinics open all across the county this weekend, those not yet vaccinated can take advantage of the easy availability of three highly effective vaccines, and those eligible for boosters, can give their immune systems a lift.”

L.A. County continues to offer COVID-19 vaccines at many different sites across the county that have weekend and evening hours. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Boosters are available for eligible individuals at all sites offering the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments are not needed at many sites and all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Los Angeles County residents eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer include the following groups of people who received the second of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series at least 6 months ago and are either:

• People aged 65 years or older
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• People aged 18 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions
• People aged 18 to 64 years with high institutional or occupational risk, including healthcare workers, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers, and workers and residents in homeless shelters or prisons, among others

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. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. 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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