Vaccinated Children Provided More Protection from COVID Infection and Hospitalization than Unvaccinated Children 

3,312 New Positive Cases and 67 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County 

With the winter surge subsiding, Public Health reminds residents that vaccinations and masking remain important effective layers of protection, especially in school settings and crowded spaces.

As of February 10, 34% of 5-11-year-olds and 84% of 12–17-year-olds had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 26% of 5–11-year-olds and 76% 12–17-year-olds were  fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated children ages 5-11, were 2.5 times more likely to be infected when compared to those who were fully vaccinated.  For those ages 12-17, vaccinated teens were almost 3 times less likely to be infected when compared to those who were unvaccinated.

Similarly, hospitalizations were also higher for unvaccinated children in both youth age groups 5-11 and 12-17.  Unvaccinated children 5-11 were at three times higher risk of hospitalization when compared to fully vaccinated children.  And unvaccinated teens 12-17 were four times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated teens.

Between February 7 and 11, nearly 477,000 tests were administered at TK-12 schools across the county; test positivity declined by 90% since the beginning of January to 1.5%. This remarkable decline likely reflects lower rates of community transmission as well as the impact of mitigation strategies that schools are using to reduce transmission.

When looking at the number of COVID-19 cases among students and staff in K-12 schools by grade level, the largest number of cases have been among elementary school students, followed by high school and then middle school students. The week of January 10-16, there were over 21,000 cases reported among elementary school students, over 11,000 reported among high school students, and 9,200 among middle school students. By the week of February 7-13, cases had dropped to 1,650 for elementary school students, 810 for high school students, and 648 for middle school students.

The number of school outbreaks currently being investigated also declined to a total of 46, down from 56 that were under investigation last week. This includes eight new outbreaks (5 in elementary schools, one in middle school, and two in youth sports) between February 6-12.

The decision to require masks in schools, along with the other mitigation safety measures likely helped to successfully limit the number of school disruptions in LA County during the Omicron surge.  Public Health is aware of only eight learning disruptions across LA County at the district level in 2022.  Three school districts had selected school closures and the others had a delayed opening or non-instructional day. In each case, the school or district, not Public Health, made the decision to take this action based on staffing and safety concerns.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Indoor masking requirements at schools, which remain in effect per the state order for at least another few weeks, continue to be an effective part of a comprehensive school safety program. As we have seen over the past few months, wearing a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings is associated with significantly lower chances of testing positive for COVID-19, and masking requirements in schools have been associated with lower numbers of outbreaks. As we think about ‘post-surge’ strategies, the focus remains on ensuring our schools have the tools and resources to offer safe learning environments for staff, teachers, and students.  As always, we are grateful for the hard work of parents, students, administrators, staff, and teachers to diligently implement mitigation strategies that promote safety at schools.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 67 additional deaths and 3,312 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 67 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30-49, six were between the ages of 50-64, 26 were between the ages of 65-79, and 25 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 67 newly reported deaths, 49 had underlying health conditions. Information on the five deaths reported by the City of Long Beach and four 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 30,146

Public Health has reported a total of 2,772,569 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 2.9%.

There are 1,713 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,316,500 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 02/16/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,772,569	3312
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,621,781	3150
— Long Beach	123,402	117
— Pasadena	27,386	45
Deaths	30,146	67
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	28,562	58
— Long Beach	1,188	5
— Pasadena	396	4
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	80302
– 5 to 11	233090
– 12 to 17	227900
– 18 to 29	585165
– 30 to 49	836381
– 50 to 64	434006
– 65 to 79	167676
–  over 80	54451
–  Under Investigation	2810
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1332191
–  Male	1214513
–  Other	947
–  Under Investigation	74130
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	4827
–  Asian	158267
–  Black	130896
–  Hispanic/Latino	1201782
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13612
–  White	332978
–  Other	287809
–  Under Investigation	491610
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	131143	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	67
–  Asian	3592
–  Black	2613
–  Hispanic/Latino	14810
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	102
–  White	7015
–  Other	286
–  Under Investigation	77