Unvaccinated Adults at Significantly Higher Risk for Hospitalization than Those Vaccinated

35 New Deaths and 893 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As of October 29, unvaccinated adults 50 and over were more than 12 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated adults over 50, with a rate of 162 hospitalizations per 100,000 unvaccinated people compared to 12.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 vaccinated people. The hospitalization rate among younger unvaccinated adults between 18 to 49 years old is 20 times higher than among vaccinated residents in the same age group (39 hospitalizations/100,000 unvaccinated people vs. 2 hospitalizations/100,000 vaccinated people).

Among those who are fully vaccinated and hospitalized, the median age is 66 and 54% of those hospitalized had three or more comorbidities. Unvaccinated individuals that are hospitalized are younger (median age is 54) and in better health (28% had 3 or more comorbidities) than those hospitalized who are fully vaccinated.

There are 632 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, 25% of whom are in the ICU. Daily hospitalizations have plateaued to around 630 over the past week.

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 35 new deaths and 893 new cases of COVID-19. The high number of deaths reflect death certificate data from September 1 through November 10.  Los Angeles County has received a lower than average volume of test results over the past two days. This may be due to decreased testing over the holiday and weekend, or it could reflect an issue with lab reporting. L.A. County and the State are investigating.

Of the 35 new deaths reported today, eight people who passed away were over the age of 80, 16 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, eight people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and one person who died was between the ages of 30 and 49. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena. To date, Public Health has identified 1,513,016 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,903 deaths.

Testing results are available for more than 9,265,000 individuals, with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.3%.

“To the many families who are experiencing the profound sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we wish you peace and send you our love and prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As Thanksgiving approaches, those still not fully vaccinated need to take extra precautions. With relatively high rates of community transmission, unvaccinated young people are vulnerable to becoming infected and spreading infection to others creating additional risk for holiday gatherings.  Don’t inadvertently host COVID this Thanksgiving. If you aren’t vaccinated, get tested and stay masked if you are around non-household people this Thanksgiving.”

Anyone five years and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

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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