Latest Public Health Data Shows Vaccines Are Still the Best Way to Protect Against COVID-19

34,827 New Positive Cases and 15 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

According to the latest Public Health data, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is still the best way to prevent serious illness and death.

In L.A. County cases have continued to increase rapidly across all groups however at significantly lower levels for vaccinated individuals. For the week ending December 25th, case rates were much higher for those unvaccinated. There were 991 new cases per 100,000 unvaccinated; 588 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated without boosters; and 254 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated with boosters.

The vaccine also continues to provide very strong protection against hospitalization and death. One way to evaluate the protection offered by vaccines is rate ratios. These ratios compare rates of an outcome in unvaccinated people with rates of the same outcome in fully vaccinated people. The higher the rate ratio, the more protective the vaccine is against the outcome.

The hospital rate ratio was 9 when comparing those unvaccinated vs those fully vaccinated without boosters, meaning a 9-fold higher rate of hospitalization for the unvaccinated compared to this protected group. More markedly, the hospital rate ratio was 38 when comparing the unvaccinated vs fully vaccinated with boosters, meaning those fully vaccinated and boosted were 38 times less likely to be hospitalized than those unvaccinated.

Lastly, at the end of December, those fully vaccinated were 22 times less likely to die when compared those unvaccinated.  Of note, the rate ratio for deaths has held steady over the course of the latest surge. While increases in deaths generally lag transmission surges, it is clear that increasing the number of people who are vaccinated will help reduce the worst outcomes of COVID infections.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Even as transmission surges, we are seeing that vaccines are still the best way to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from the most serious consequences of COVID.”

“However, at the moment, vaccinations alone are not sufficient to get us back to slowing the spread.  We all need to exercise more caution in the weeks ahead.  One effective strategy for reducing transmission is to wear a high-quality mask whenever around non-household members.  Given the dominance of the highly infectious Omicron variant, well-fitting masks provide a great layer of protection to both the wearer and all those nearby. It is also time to pause those non-essential activities where people are unmasked and in close contact with others. The reality is that parties and events, especially those indoors, make it easy for the virus to spread. Limiting our time with others to those more essential work or school activities is a prudent action for us to take when-ever possible until the surge subsides.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 15 additional deaths and 34,827 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 15 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, one was between the ages of 30-49, five people were between the ages of 50 and 64, three were between the ages of 65-79, and five were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 15 newly reported deaths, 10 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 27,812.

Public Health has identified a total 2,046,208 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 21%.

There are 3,766 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,395,600 individuals, with 18% of people testing positive.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

Remain home when sick, isolate if positive and quarantine when a close contact.

Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. 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 and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

If you need assistance, you can also call 1-833-540-0473 for help:

Finding an appointment

Connect to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or

Schedule a home visit if you are homebound.

For more information regarding COVID-19 in LA County you can also visit the Public Health website at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov here you will find information on:

COVID-19 sector protocols & best practices,

COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboards, and

COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive and, Recovery Dashboards

 Please see additional information below:

Cases through 12:00pm 01/10/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,046,208	34827
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	1,942,856	32145
— Long Beach	83,946	2217
— Pasadena	19,406	465
Deaths	27,812	15
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	26,359	15
— Long Beach	1,080	0
— Pasadena	373	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	53125
– 5 to 11	137806
– 12 to 17	143774
– 18 to 29	461679
– 30 to 49	641250
– 50 to 64	333285
– 65 to 79	127718
–  over 80	42938
–  Under Investigation	1281
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	985326
–  Male	905979
–  Other	837
–  Under Investigation	50714
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	3328
–  Asian	105467
–  Black	100267
–  Hispanic/Latino	923373
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	9013
–  White	255617
–  Other	189771
–  Under Investigation	356020
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	113204	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	62
–  Asian	3393
–  Black	2359
–  Hispanic/Latino	13910
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	97
–  White	6296
–  Other	206
–  Under Investigation	36