Parents Encouraged to Vaccinate Their Children 5 to 11 Years Old

4 New Deaths and 996 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Since March 2020, nearly 81,000 children 5 to 11 years old have tested positive for COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and nearly 400 children 5 to 11 were hospitalized.  Of the 996 new cases reported today, 140 were among children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) encourages parents to protect their children and prevent transmission of COVID-19 by getting everyone in their family vaccinated who is eligible. Now that Los Angeles County vaccine providers are administering Pfizer vaccine to children 5 to 11 years old, anyone five years and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated.

Similar to making a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for adults and teens, parents can make an appointment for their children by using MyTurn.CA.gov or the County website at VaccinateLACounty.com and for more information about vaccinations.  Also on  VaccinateLACounty.com,  is a list and a map that allows people to click to find a pediatric vaccination site near them.

A network of over 800 providers countywide will offer vaccines to children between the ages of 5 and 11.  All Public Health sites are offering Pfizer for children 5 to 11 years old along with many pharmacies and clinics. Some sites require appointments; walk-ins are welcome at the Public Health sites. Vaccines will also be offered at 480 school-based events with a focus on schools in high-need areas this month, and 172 County mobile vaccination teams are also offering vaccines to children.

Children getting vaccinated need to bring with them a consent form signed by an adult responsible for the child; the consent form can be signed by the adult at the vaccination site. At some vaccination sites, including those run by Public Health, children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You do not need to show identification in order to get a vaccine, nor do you need to be a United States citizen to be vaccinated. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

Today, Public Health confirms 4 new deaths and 996 new cases of COVID-19. The number of cases and deaths reflect reporting delays over the weekend. Of the 4 new deaths reported today, one person who passed away was over the age of 80, two people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49. To date, Public Health has identified 1,503,664 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,752 deaths.

There are 655 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for nearly 9,171,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.1%.

“To everyone who has lost a loved one or friend to the virus, we are so sorry for your loss,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We thank our vaccine provider partners for ensuring communities across the county have continued access to the most powerful protection against COVID-19 available to everyone. Los Angeles County is committed to ensuring children ages 5 to 11 years old have access to COVID-19 vaccines. Increasing the numbers of vaccinated people in households adds additional layers of protection as we head into the holidays. I am thankful to the more than 7 million L.A. County residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.”

Vaccine providers across Los Angeles County are also administering boosters for all three FDA-approved vaccines; Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. 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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