Positive Test Rate Drops Among Students and Staff as Schools Continue Implementing Strategies For Safe In-Person Learning  

30,081 New Positive Cases and 59 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With most schools open for in-person learning, recent Public Health data showed test positivity rates dropped among students and staff while the number of schools reporting cases increased sharply coinciding with the re-opening of LAUSD campuses.

For the week of January 9th through January 15th, there were 1,032 K-12 schools reporting positive cases; this represented a 55% increase since the first week of December 2021, when 665 schools reported positive cases.

Also, for the week ending January 15th, there were almost 595,000 tests administered to students and staff at K-12 schools. Of those, 11% were positive, down from 15% the prior week.  Although an estimated 65,000 students and staff tested positive last week, only three new outbreaks (2 elementary schools and 1 in high school) were identified signaling that most of the recent cases represent high rates of community transmission.

To help ensure safety at schools, over 140 school-based vaccine clinics are scheduled this week and nearly 500 school-based vaccine clinics are scheduled in February. School vaccine clinics offer pediatric doses for those 5-11 years of age, as well as boosters for eligible students 12 years of age and older. As a reminder, vaccines continue to provide the best protection against illness and hospitalizations and are the safest way to keep kids in school and other activities.

Schools are working with Public Health and the LA County Office of Education to increase testing capacity to best manage potential school exposures while supporting in-person learning for as many students as possible. All infected students and staff are required to isolate at home away from others for a minimum of 5 days.  Asymptomatic students and staff that test negative on day 5 of their isolation period may return to school on or after day 6 of their isolation period, returning students and staff must remain asymptomatic and always wear a high-grade mask when around others, both indoors and outdoors until 10 days have passed from their positive test or the day their symptoms began. Schools can receive assistance from Public Health to support case identification, notification, and contact tracing.      “I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MEd, Director of Public Health.  “Keeping our schools available for in-person learning during this Omicron fueled surge is not easy and I commend our school communities for all the work they are doing to keep children and staff safe.  This is particularly challenging in our elementary schools where, on average, three-quarters of students are not fully vaccinated, making it critically important to use infection control practices to limit spread of a highly infectious variant.

“Prioritizing and ensuring safety at schools during a surge is only possible if all those at the school commit to complying fully with public health measures; this cannot be accomplished by administrators or staff alone. Wearing a high- grade face mask both indoors and outdoors when around others is absolutely essential, as all evidence points to the effectiveness of well-fitting high-quality masks in limiting spread of virus particles,” Ferrer continued. “Frequent testing can help identify asymptomatic individuals before they have a lot of opportunities to transmit to others, so parents are urged to allow their children to participate in school testing programs. And everyone infected and exposed will need to follow the school-based isolation and quarantine rules that are meant to reduce school outbreaks. Without everyone working together to minimize exposures, there could be more disruptions affecting school communities across the county.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 59 additional deaths and 30,081 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 59 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, two were between the ages of 30 and 49, 11 were between the ages of 50 and 64, 30 were between the ages of 65-79, and 15 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 59 newly reported deaths, 51 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,181.

Public Health has identified a total 2,343,821 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 16.9%.

There are 4,799 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,725,900 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 01/18/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,343,821	31018
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,223,148	23761
— Long Beach	98,346	6910
— Pasadena	22,327	347
Deaths	28,181	59
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	26,716	59
— Long Beach	1,088	0
— Pasadena	377	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	62512
– 5 to 11	176002
– 12 to 17	178722
– 18 to 29	510710
– 30 to 49	713581
– 50 to 64	369592
– 65 to 79	140617
–  over 80	46200
–  Under Investigation	1451
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1116074
–  Male	1022352
–  Other	871
–  Under Investigation	60090
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	3835
–  Asian	122686
–  Black	112295
–  Hispanic/Latino	1030094
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	11026
–  White	283138
–  Other	226552
–  Under Investigation	409761
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	117726	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	64
–  Asian	3435
–  Black	2407
–  Hispanic/Latino	14051
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	96
–  White	6407
–  Other	214
–  Under Investigation	42