Two Years After the First Case of COVID-19 was Identified in LA County, Sensible Public Health Measures Contribute to Slowing the Spread

20,866 New Positive Cases and 91 New Deaths Due to COVID- 19 in Los Angeles County; Including One 15-Month-Old 

On the two-year anniversary of LA County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, Public Health reports an additional 91 deaths due to COVID-19, which tragically includes a 15-month-old. This is the youngest resident to die of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and a stark reminder that the virus can cause devastating outcomes among those most vulnerable, including young children not yet eligible for vaccinations.

To protect school-aged children, Public Health and LA County schools have implemented safety measures that are resulting in fewer cases among students and staff. For the week ending January 23rd, schools conducted 555,879 tests and confirmed 40,694 positive tests, with a test positivity of 7%. This is a 33% decrease from the prior week, when test positivity was 11%. Of note, most of these tests (70%) are conducted by LAUSD alone. In the week ending January 23rd, LAUSD conducted approximately 389,000 tests, detected 30,379 positive tests, and had a test positivity of 7.8%.

Despite declines in cases, the number of school outbreaks increased reflecting the highly infectious Omicron variant.  Between January 16^th-22^nd, there were 11 new school outbreaks opened (9 in elementary schools, 1 in a high school, and 1 in youth sports). These numbers remain relatively low given the high numbers of new cases and suggest that schools continue to successfully implement public health measures that reduce spread.

The comprehensive approach utilized by schools to reduce transmission includes school-based vaccine clinics, testing, and upgraded mask requirements for staff to help maintain a safe school environment. This week there are nearly 190 school-based vaccine clinics scheduled, offering first, second and third doses.  Public Health is also distributing an additional nearly 1 million home test kits to school districts over the next 2 weeks, facilitating increased response testing capacity at many schools.

Parents are reminded that the COVID-19 vaccine is the very best way to protect their child from COVID-19 and that already more than 15 million children ages five and older have safely received the vaccine across this country. For more information about the vaccine, parents can visit VaccineLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com.

“As we mark the two-year anniversary of the first case detected in LA County, I send my heartfelt condolences and wishes of healing to the family who suffered the devastating loss of their small child, and to the countless people who have lost a loved one to this pandemic,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “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 staff alone. Wearing a high- grade face mask both indoors and outdoors when around others is absolutely essential for staff and highly recommended for students, 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 91 additional deaths and 20,866 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 91 new deaths reported today, one person who died was between the ages of 0-4, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, eight people were between the ages of 30 and 49, 14 were between the ages of 50 and 64, 34 were between the ages of 65-79, and 30 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 91 newly reported deaths, 79 had underlying conditions. Information on the three deaths reported by the City of Long Beach is available at www.longbeach.gov To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,630.

Public Health has identified a total 2,560,768 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 13.6%.

There are 4,534 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,947,900 individuals, with 21% 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 are 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 01/25/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,560,768	20866
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,420,665	18123
— Long Beach	114,905	2461
— Pasadena	25,198	282
Deaths	28,630	91
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	27,140	88
— Long Beach	1,112	3
— Pasadena	378	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	71966
– 5 to 11	206711
– 12 to 17	205317
– 18 to 29	549263
– 30 to 49	778482
– 50 to 64	403314
– 65 to 79	154084
–  over 80	49883
–  Under Investigation	1645
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1229068
–  Male	1123008
–  Other	895
–  Under Investigation	67694
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	4298
–  Asian	136937
–  Black	122190
–  Hispanic/Latino	1117735
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	12388
–  White	307295
–  Other	263861
–  Under Investigation	455961
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	122106	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	64
–  Asian	3469
–  Black	2460
–  Hispanic/Latino	14228
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	97
–  White	6541
–  Other	230
–  Under Investigation	51