LA County Surpasses 30,000 COVID-19 Deaths; Enters Post Surge as Hospitalizations Remain Below 2,500 for the Seventh Consecutive Day 

3,348 New Positive Cases and 102 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County 

Today, as Los Angeles County surpassed the grim milestone of losing more than 30,000 residents to COVID-19, Public Health is reporting an additional 102 additional daily deaths.  While case and hospitalization numbers have declined significantly, sadly, many residents continue to lose their lives to this dangerous virus. Our hope is that as we drive case and hospitalization numbers lower, deaths will decline.

With hospitalizations under 2,500 for seven consecutive days, Public Health issued a modified LA County Health Officer Order today recommending, but no longer requiring, masking at outdoor mega events and outdoor spaces at K-12 schools and childcare centers. For the week ending February 13, the seven-day average of daily COVID hospital admissions decreased by 87 admissions from the prior week to 242 admissions this week, translating into a 26% decline in County hospital admissions. While the number of daily hospital admissions has continued to decrease, the number of hospitalized COVID patients in the ICU (21%) and those requiring ventilation (13%) has remained fairly stable compared to the previous week.  Total hospital census for LA County hospitals also decreased to 13,971 as of February 14, crossing below the 14,000 mark for the first time since January 3.

While masking will no longer be required at outdoor Mega Events or in outdoor spaces at childcare facilities and K-12 schools, the masking requirement at indoor establishments will continue until:

• LA County has seven consecutive days at or below Moderate Transmission (10-49.99 new cases/100,000 persons in the past seven days), AND
• There are no emerging reports of significantly circulating new variants of concern that threaten vaccine effectiveness.

Per state regulations, indoor masking at K-12 schools, childcare facilities, youth settings, healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless and emergency shelters, and cooling centers is still currently required. The state will also provide an updated assessment on February 28 on appropriate safety considerations for schools.

Additionally, per federal regulations, masking when riding public transit and in transportation hubs is still required.

Employers must also continue to provide high quality and well-fitting masks to workers who are in close contact with others until transmission is lower. Vaccination verification will also continue at mega events and indoor sections of bars, lounges, nightclubs, wineries, breweries, and distilleries.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19.” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While entering post-surge is welcoming news, we are all aware that post-surge does not mean the pandemic is over, or that transmission is low, or that there will not be additional unpredictable waves of surges in the future that will require integrated public health measures. Post surge acknowledges the consistent and welcomed declines from the surge peak and realigns our current public health response to meet current mitigation needs.  We anticipate, that with continued steep declines in case numbers indicating much lower transmission, we will be able to safely lift indoor mask mandates in mid-March.  Please continue to take sensible precautions that reduce exposures so that we don’t lose ground.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 102 additional deaths and 3,348 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 102 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18-29, six people were between the ages of 30-49, 18 were between the ages of 50-64, 29 were between the ages of 65-79, and 35 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 102 newly reported deaths, 58 had underlying health conditions. Information on the 13 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 30,081.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,769,372 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 3%.

There are 1,835 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,305,745 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

To reduce spread and 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 they test positive and quarantine if they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

Residents are legally required to isolate themselves away from others if they test positive for COVID-19. Close contacts with symptoms and close contacts who are unvaccinated or not up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations need to follow quarantine requirements. 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 02/15/2022
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,769,372
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,618,746
— Long Beach	123,285
— Pasadena	27,341
Deaths	30,081
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	28,506
— Long Beach	1,183
— Pasadena	392
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	80177
– 5 to 11	232700
– 12 to 17	227571
– 18 to 29	584542
– 30 to 49	835487
– 50 to 64	433610
– 65 to 79	167468
–  over 80	54381
–  Under Investigation	2810
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1330598
–  Male	1213121
–  Other	944
–  Under Investigation	74083
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	4825
–  Asian	158005
–  Black	130701
–  Hispanic/Latino	1200361
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13603
–  White	332465
–  Other	287256
–  Under Investigation	491530
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	130439
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	64
–  Asian	3586
–  Black	2602
–  Hispanic/Latino	14796
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	101
–  White	6993
–  Other	285
–  Under Investigation	79