More People Ending Up in the ICU As L.A County Hospitals Experience Ongoing Strain Due to Increases in Healthcare Worker Positive Cases

22,688 New Positive Cases and 37 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With the Omicron variant continuing to spread at a rapid pace, Public Health data shows more residents are requiring treatment for severe illness in the ICU.

As of January 17^th, both the 7-day average of new admissions of people with COVID-19 and the total number of patients admitted into the ICU had increased from a week prior.  New daily admissions increased by 9.5% to a total of 644 patients, up from 588 patients the week of January 11^th. Additionally, 31% of COVID confirmed patients were in the ICU, and 27% were requiring ventilation, which was also an increase from the week of January 11^th when Public Health reported 25% of COVID confirmed patients were in ICU, and 20% were requiring ventilation.

Cases among healthcare workers are also increasing, leading to staffing shortages across the healthcare system.  Between January 7^th and January 13^th, Public Health reported a total of 1,268 new positive cases among healthcare workers; this is an increase of 30% from the week of December 31^st, when 973 positive cases were reported.

With Omicron leading to increasing hospitalizations and ICU admissions, vaccines continue to provide the best protection against sever illness.  Between December 30, 2021, and January 12, 2022, the ICU rate ratio was 6.4 when comparing those unvaccinated vs those fully vaccinated without boosters, meaning unvaccinated people were 6 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU compared to those fully vaccinated without boosters. Residents who are vaccinated and boosted have even more protection, as they are 25 times less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those unvaccinated.

“Our hearts go out to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one as we are once more witnessing the utter misery caused by COVID with more residents facing serious illness and passing away,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Let’s not fool ourselves by not recognizing the danger presented by the Omicron variant which is capable of spreading with lightning speed and causing serious illness among our most vulnerable residents.”

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have recognized that while many experience mild illness from COVID, there are others, who we love and need, that will not do well if they become infected,” Ferrer continued. “And while vaccines and boosters provide powerful protection, those who are older, have serious health conditions, or are immunocompromised remain at higher risk.  We still don’t know the longer-term consequences from Omicron infections, including the development of long COVID or MIS-C among children.  So please continue to do your part in slowing the spread of Omicron to help us keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and out of the hospital.  Wear a well-fitted medical-grade mask any time indoors or at crowded outdoor locations and curtail high-risk activities during surge. And please stay away from others if you are infected or sick.  Working together to reduce infections is still an essential strategy.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 37 additional deaths and 22,688 new cases of COVID-19. The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the holiday weekend. Of the 37 new deaths reported today, three were between the ages of 30-49, five were between the ages of 50 and 64, 11 were between the ages of 65-79, and 18 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 37 newly reported deaths, 33 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County are 28,122.

Public Health has identified a total 2,311,568 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 16.3%.

There are 4,701 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,695,800 individuals, with 20% 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, Connecting 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 01/17/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,311,568	22688
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,199,480	22688
— Long Beach	91,436	0
— Pasadena	20,652	0
Deaths	28,122	37
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	26,657	37
— Long Beach	1,088	0
— Pasadena	377	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	62515
– 5 to 11	176018
– 12 to 17	178729
– 18 to 29	510728
– 30 to 49	713607
– 50 to 64	369607
– 65 to 79	140620
–  over 80	46200
–  Under Investigation	1456
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1116097
–  Male	1022387
–  Other	871
–  Under Investigation	60125
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	3834
–  Asian	122688
–  Black	112289
–  Hispanic/Latino	1030081
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	11028
–  White	283133
–  Other	226588
–  Under Investigation	409839
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	117117	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	63
–  Asian	3427
–  Black	2399
–  Hispanic/Latino	14021
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	96
–  White	6397
–  Other	213
–  Under Investigation	41