COVID-19 Cases Among Healthcare Workers Decline

7 New Deaths and 990 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Cases among healthcare workers declined from 257 cases reported the week ending October 2, to 166 new cases reported the week ending October 23. Of the 166 new cases among healthcare workers reported across the county; 78 cases were reported among vaccinated healthcare workers and 88 among unvaccinated workers.

Since the pandemic began, 46,376 healthcare workers and first responders have tested positive for COVID-19. To date, 300 healthcare workers have tragically passed away from COVID-19; most deaths occurring between July 2020 and February 2021 with staff at skilled nursing facilities and hospitals accounting for most deaths. Since October 2, seven healthcare workers have passed away from COVID-19.

Healthcare workers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19; those with an approved medical or religious exemption need to be tested once or twice weekly. Most hospitals and healthcare providers are reporting relatively high rates of vaccination among their employees. Last week’s report from skilled nursing facilities indicated that 95% of staff are fully vaccinated. The State is working with the licensing divisions to assess overall compliance.

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 7 new deaths and 990 new cases of COVID-19. The number of cases and deaths reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Of the 7 new deaths reported today, three people who passed away were over the age of 80, three people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, and one person who died was between the ages of 50 and 64. To date, Public Health has identified 1,494,119 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,644 deaths.

There are 672 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 9,070,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 0.8%.

“To the families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, we are deeply sorry for your loss and wish you peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “There is urgency for those unvaccinated to get vaccinated, and for those eligible for an additional dose because of their age, underlying health conditions, or occupation, to get their booster. We saw last year how damaging the virus can be and how colder weather and increased intermingling leads to more transmission. We are lucky that this year we have powerful vaccines that can effectively blunt transmission.  However, there is only a small window of time still available to improve vaccination coverage across the county before the holiday season takes off.  Let’s do everything possible to make sure scores of people don’t spend the holidays away from those they love because they are sick or hospitalized with the virus.”

Public Health encourages everyone not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated, and everyone eligible for a booster to get their booster. All three FDA-approved vaccines; Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are available for eligible individuals

People eligible for boosters include adults of any age who received their first Johnson & Johnson dose at least two months ago, and people who got the second dose of their Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and are 65-plus years old or are over 18 and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work or live in high-risk settings.

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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