More Residents at Skilled Nursing Facilities Are Staying Safe Due to Significant Increases in Booster Uptake

2,406 New Positive Cases and 68 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County 

Since the announcement of the healthcare worker booster requirement in late December, vaccination and booster rates have continued to improve among both residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities. While there is still progress to be made, efforts to vaccinate, boost, mask and follow other safety measures have proven to be effective in keeping many of our most vulnerable residents healthy and safe.

For the week of February 17-23, skilled nursing facilities reported 176 new cases among residents and 116 new cases among staff. This represents a 41% and 32% reduction in new cases, respectively, when compared to the previous week.

Furthermore, vaccination and booster rates among residents and staff have continued to improve. Among eligible residents, as of January 30, 91% of residents were fully vaccinated and 75% fully vaccinated and boosted.

Among eligible staff, vaccination rates are also very high with 97% fully vaccinated, and 69% fully vaccinated and boosted, which is more than double the 31% of eligible staff boosted on December 19 when the state announced the requirement for workers at healthcare facilities to get boosted once eligible.

With high rates of up-to-date vaccinations, positive cases among all healthcare workers have significantly declined, resulting in less disruptions and staffing shortages across the county’s hospital system. For the week of February 18-24, there were 186 new positive cases, representing a 46% decline compared to the number of cases reported from the prior week.

“We share our condolences and heartfelt sympathies to anyone mourning the loss of life due to COVID-19”, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Protecting residents at nursing homes remains a high priority during this post-surge time. We appreciate all the nursing facility staff that are up to date on their vaccinations and encourage those working at these facilities to get their booster dose as soon as eligible to reduce the risk of transmission to residents at high risk of severe illness from the virus. We also encourage families and friends visiting their loved ones at nursing homes or other congregate care facilities to do the same and be up to date on their vaccinations.  Testing before gathering with high-risk individuals remains an appropriate strategy that reduces unintentional exposures. While we welcome the declines in transmission and hospitalizations, those most vulnerable because they are older, immunocompromised, living with serious health conditions, or unvaccinated, still need the additional protections offered by the array of tools and strategies available to reduce risk.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 68 additional deaths and 2,406 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 68 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18-29, four were between the ages of 30-49, 15 were between the ages of 50-64, 18 were between the ages of 65-79, and 28 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 68 newly reported deaths, 55 had underlying health conditions.  Information on the one death 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 30,587.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,791,630 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.9%.

There are 1,105 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,397,700 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 02/24/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,791,630	2406
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,639,957	2236
— Long Beach	124,065	116
— Pasadena	27,608	54
Deaths	30,587	68
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	28,979	66
— Long Beach	1,210	1
— Pasadena	398	1
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
– 0 to 4	81039
– 5 to 11	235003
– 12 to 17	229524
– 18 to 29	588618
– 30 to 49	841832
– 50 to 64	436929
– 65 to 79	169172
–  over 80	54982
–  Under Investigation	2858
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Female	1341747
–  Male	1223381
–  Other	966
–  Under Investigation	73863
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	4865
–  Asian	160241
–  Black	132184
–  Hispanic/Latino	1212214
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13575
–  White	336323
–  Other	288995
–  Under Investigation	491560
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  Hospitalized (Ever)	132249	**DATA  Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
–  American Indian/Alaska Native	69
–  Asian	3639
–  Black	2658
–  Hispanic/Latino	14996
–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	104
–  White	7137
–  Other	293
–  Under Investigation	83