Hospitalizations Continue to Decline, Indicating Los Angeles County Likely Passed the Peak of Omicron Transmission

26,010 New Positive Cases and 85 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County 

Along with several other COVID-19 metrics, hospitalizations are also declining with 4,323 people currently hospitalized, representing a decline from the peak of 4,800 patients last week. The seven-day average of new admissions of people with COVID-19 also decreased by 10%, from 614 patients one week ago to 552 admissions today. Further, only a portion of COVID cases are requiring critical care. As of today, 17% of COVID positive hospitalized patients are currently in the ICU, and 12% of COVID positive hospitalized patients are currently on ventilators.

Data is also showing the spread of Omicron has had a disproportionate effect among certain residents over the past two months, with the risk of hospitalization significantly lower for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted. Through January 15th, fully vaccinated and boosted individuals were 28 times less likely to be admitted to the ICU for COVID-19 than those unvaccinated, showing that vaccines continue to provide the best protection against severe illness.

Nonetheless, the county’s healthcare system remains under strain due to more healthcare workers testing positive, which is contributing to the shortage of healthcare workers across the county. For the week of January 14th, there were 1,559 new healthcare worker positive cases, representing a nearly 18% increase compared to the 1,326 cases from the week prior.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While these declines give us cause for much welcomed hope, we should not take them as a sign to forgo the commonsense protective measures that helped to slow COVID-19 transmission in our county. Continuing these safety measures will drive down cases, which will ultimately end staffing shortages, reduce workplace and school outbreaks, and most importantly, keep residents from becoming seriously ill and dying.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 85 additional deaths and 26,010 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 85 new deaths reported today, seven of the people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, eight people were between the ages of 50 and 64, 25 were between the ages of 65-79, and 42 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 85 newly reported deaths, 72 had underlying conditions. Information on the two deaths reported by the City of Long Beach and the one death reported by the City of Pasadena is available at www.longbeach.gov and www.CityofPasadena.net To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,715.

Public Health has identified a total 2,586,739 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 12.7%.

There are 4,323 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,979,500 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 01/26/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,586,739	26010
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,445,187	24561
— Long Beach	116,126	1221
— Pasadena	25,426	228
Deaths	28,715	85
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	27,222	82
— Long Beach	1,114	2
— Pasadena	379	1
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	72893
– 5 to 11	210156
– 12 to 17	208271
– 18 to 29	553932
– 30 to 49	785571
– 50 to 64	406975
– 65 to 79	155440
–  over 80	50288
–  Under Investigation	1661
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1241539
–  Male	1134375
–  Other	903
–  Under Investigation	68370
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	4461
–  Asian	138597
–  Black	123291
–  Hispanic/Latino	1127329
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	12585
–  White	311172
–  Other	267031
–  Under Investigation	460721
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	122932
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	64
–  Asian	3478
–  Black	2467
–  Hispanic/Latino	14266
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	98
–  White	6563
–  Other	233
–  Under Investigation	53