The Los Angeles Post

Most Vulnerable Residents Encouraged to Take Safety Measures as More Infectious BA.2 Subvariant Circulates

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530 New Positive Cases and 8 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County Reported Today, 734 Cases and 8 Deaths on Sunday, and 1,135 Cases and 12 Deaths on Saturday

With widespread circulation of the BA.2 subvariant, residents most vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19, including those who are not vaccinated, immunocompromised, have underlying health conditions, or have a lot of exposures to others at work or in the community, should take measures to reduce their risk. Steps to reduce risk include getting fully vaccinated or boosted if eligible, wearing a medical mask or respirator such as an N95 or KN95 when in indoor public settings, and getting tested before and after gatherings. Residents who have traveled or are traveling for Spring Break or are preparing for spring observances of Ramadan, Easter, and Passover should also take these measures to protect themselves and their families.

Currently, there about 2.6 million booster-dose eligible residents not benefiting from the extra protection of a booster dose and 1.7 million eligible residents still needing to get their first vaccination.

The vaccines remain highly effective at slowing COVID-19 spread and preventing severe illness. For the week ending March 18, county residents who were unvaccinated were two times more likely to be infected when compared to individuals who were fully vaccinated and boosted.

The vaccines also continue to provide very strong protection against hospitalization and death. For the week ending March 18, unvaccinated people were three times more likely to be hospitalized compared to fully vaccinated residents and six times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated and boosted. And the likelihood of dying was also significantly higher – 11 times higher – for unvaccinated residents compared to residents who were fully vaccinated.

To help close the gaps in vaccination coverage, Public Health is increasing access to the vaccines through mobile vaccination clinics. This week, Public Health is hosting nearly 700 mobile vaccine clinics, many of which are located across under-resourced communities with residents at elevated risk.

Additionally, Public Health is expanding vaccination services to homebound residents, a critical service to assist the County’s most vulnerable residents who are unable to travel to a clinic or pharmacy. For assistance obtaining homebound services, residents or their caregivers can call the Public Health Vaccine Call Center at (833) 540-0473 between 8 AM and 8:30 PM seven days a week to schedule an appointment and for more information on COVID-19 vaccines. Residents can also visit the “How to Get Vaccinated” section at VaccinateLACounty.com for more information.

“We continue to send wishes for peace and healing to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one from COVID,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “With the more infectious BA.2 circulating and more holiday gatherings in the coming weeks, the millions of residents at elevated risk, including children under the age of five who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, should take steps to protect themselves and their families. Getting vaccinated or boosted, wearing a mask, and getting tested before and after gatherings can help keep transmission as low as possible, which is key to protecting our healthcare system and our vulnerable residents.”

Today, Public Health reported eight additional deaths and 530 cases for Monday, eight additional deaths and 734 cases for Sunday, and 12 additional deaths and 1,135 cases for Saturday. Of the 28 new deaths reported today and over the weekend, 3 people were between the ages of 50-64, 12 were between the ages of 65-79, and 13 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 28 newly reported deaths, 23 people had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,710.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,836,605 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 0.7%.

There are 287 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,715,000 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

For more information:

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

2,836,605

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*

2,682,765

— Long Beach

125,671

— Pasadena

28,169

Deaths

31,710

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

30,037

— Long Beach

1,261

— Pasadena

412

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

82462

– 5 to 11

238813

– 12 to 17

233248

– 18 to 29

597429

– 30 to 49

855624

– 50 to 64

444285

– 65 to 79

172622

–  over 80

56207

–  Under Investigation

2075

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

1364254

–  Male

1243382

–  Other

1037

–  Under Investigation

74092

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

4919

–  Asian

164423

–  Black

134579

–  Hispanic/Latino

1226785

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

13600

–  White

344711

–  Other

297956

–  Under Investigation

495792

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

136,044

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

73

–  Asian

3751

–  Black

2776

–  Hispanic/Latino

15464

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

111

–  White

7456

–  Other

311

–  Under Investigation

95