With All COVID-19 Metrics at Elevated Levels, Protecting Skilled Nursing Facility Residents and Staff Is Critical

45,076 New Positive Cases and 45 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With COVID cases remaining very high and hospitalization and death counts rising, protecting residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities is even more important.

New cases among skilled nursing residents increased by more than 250% to 443 new cases and among staff by more than 350% to 1,522 for the week ending January 2^nd compared to the week prior.

There are also 137 active outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities as of January 8^th, an 88% increase from the week prior. The increase in outbreaks across all other sectors was 65% during the same period.

While vaccination rates remain very high at 91% of residents and 97% of staff, booster coverage lags among facility staff, with only 54% receiving a booster. More than 85% of facility residents are boosted. The low percentage of staff boosted likely reflects vaccination status at the end of December, which is shortly after the healthcare worker booster mandate was implemented. It is likely that this percentage will increase leading up to the Feb. 1^st deadline.

To continue providing the best protection the most vulnerable residents, a new Health Officer Order was issued on December 23rd that requires workers who provide service or work in high-risk settings, including in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other health care settings and who are currently eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccination, receive their booster dose by no later than 2-1-22. Workers who are not yet eligible for a booster must receive a booster within 15 days of becoming eligible. Exemptions from the vaccine requirement are permitted only for religious beliefs or qualifying medical conditions.

“I know so many are mourning the loss of a loved one and I send my heartfelt condolences and wishes for healing,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.  “As we continue to see increases in cases, hospitalizations, and now deaths, keeping residents and staff of skilled nursing and long-term care facilities protected is of paramount importance. If you’re currently not up to date on your vaccination and booster, please do not wait. Now is one of the most important and urgent moments to seek this protection. For facility staff, do it not just for yourself but for your family you come back home to and the patients and residents you take care of every day. Their lives often depend on it.” Ferrer continued, “Nonetheless, we face continued challenges and disruptions over this next month related to high rates of transmission and the resulting staffing shortages. We will need everyone to work together to minimize the potential for harm that can accompany a surge of this magnitude.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 45 additional deaths and 45,076 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 45 new deaths reported today, two were between the ages of 30-49, seven people were between the ages of 50 and 64, 14 were between the ages of 65-79, and 17 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 45 newly reported deaths, 35 had underlying conditions. Information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach and the four deaths reported by the City of Pasadena are available at: www.LongBeach.gov and www.CityofPasadena.net To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County are 27,895.

Public Health has identified a total 2,131,523 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 20.8%.

There are 4,175 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,494,000 individuals, with 19% 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 in 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 01/12/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,131,523	45076
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,023,608	42679
— Long Beach	87,797	1973
— Pasadena	20,118	424
Deaths	27,895	45
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	26,434	40
— Long Beach	1,084	1
— Pasadena	377	4
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	55982
– 5 to 11	150647
– 12 to 17	154519
– 18 to 29	477380
– 30 to 49	663897
– 50 to 64	344403
– 65 to 79	131576
–  over 80	43878
–  Under Investigation	1326
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1026385
–  Male	942224
–  Other	854
–  Under Investigation	54145
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	3476
–  Asian	111112
–  Black	104091
–  Hispanic/Latino	956327
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	9807
–  White	265041
–  Other	200219
–  Under Investigation	373535
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	114266	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	63
–  Asian	3399
–  Black	2369
–  Hispanic/Latino	13938
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	95
–  White	6327
–  Other	207
–  Under Investigation	36