The Los Angeles Post

With High Numbers of Cases Among Students, Parents are Encouraged to Get Their Children Vaccinated and Boosted

by ·

6,195 New Positive Cases and 8 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The number of cases among students and staff at LA County K-12 schools continues to increase. For the week ending May 29, there were 7,854 cases in schools across the county; 6,362 were among students and 1,492 among staff. A month prior, for the week ending May 1, there were 4,479 cases, of which, 3,647 were among students and 832 among staff.

Test positivity also doubled this past month at schools. For the week ending June 3, test positivity was 1.2%, compared to 0.5% for the week ending May 6.

For the week ending June 4, there were 12 reported classroom outbreaks (seven in elementary schools, one in a middle school, and four in high schools), Throughout the past month, there have been 15 outbreaks associated with end-of-year field trips, school performances, and special events, such as prom, with over 750 cases among students and staff.

The highest case rate in the county is among teens ages 12-17, with 762 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 teens; this rate is more than double the rate one month ago when there were 363 cases per 100,000 teens. As of June 4, the case rate for children ages 5-11 was 588 per 100,000 children, a 96% increase from one month ago when the case rate was 300 per 100,000 children on May 4.

The high case rates reflect elevated transmission of the Omicron variants among children. And while most children will experience mild illness, unvaccinated children are at increased risk of severe illness and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Over the past 3 months, unvaccinated children ages 12-17 were nearly four times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated children in the same age group. Additionally, 65% of vaccine-eligible children with confirmed cases of MIS-C, were unvaccinated.

Since vaccinations provide the best protection against severe illness and MIS-C, parents are urged to make sure that they and their children are up-to-date on their vaccinations and boosters. This week, there are 101 school vaccine clinics scheduled. These sites offer pediatric doses and boosters for children ages five to 11, along with vaccines and boosters for older children and adults.

As a reminder, the Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine available for children ages 5-17, and the primary series of doses (two doses) are administered three to eight weeks apart. Children ages 5-17 can also stay up-to-date on their vaccinations by receiving a booster dose at least five months after they complete their primary series. Note that the vaccine for children ages 5-11 has the same active ingredients as the adult vaccine but is one-third of the dose.

For information, go to VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) and go to the How to Get Vaccinated webpage, or call the COVID-19 information line at (833) 540-0473 between the hours of 8 am and 8:30 pm seven days a week.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is misleading to dismiss the danger of this virus for children. With a very safe and effective pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, we can prevent many of the serious cases and reduce the number of children with MIS-C. This requires that more children are vaccinated and up-to-date on their vaccines.  And while those fully vaccinated can get infected, they are two times less likely to become infected than those not yet vaccinated.  This means that fully vaccinated children also protect others in the community who may be more susceptible to serious illness should they become infected. As children get ready to enjoy their summer break and families arrange for summer camps, travel and more gatherings, the high rate of transmission can quickly derail plans and interrupt operations at camps and recreational programs.  It makes sense, as part of organizing those fun summer activities, to include getting everyone vaccinated, and where eligible, boosted.”

Today, Public Health reported eight additional deaths and 6,195 new positive cases. Of the eight new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30-49, one person was between the ages of 50-64, three people were between the ages of 65-79, and three people were among people aged 80 years or older. Of the eight newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 32,186.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,014,758 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 4.5%.

There are 555 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,060,276 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

3,014,758

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

2,853,101

— Long Beach

130,980

— Pasadena

30,677

Deaths

32,186

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

30,491

— Long Beach

1,280

— Pasadena

415

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

– 0 to 4

87473

– 5 to 11

253516

– 12 to 17

248761

– 18 to 29

634230

– 30 to 49

911170

– 50 to 64

471509

– 65 to 79

184732

–  over 80

59615

–  Under Investigation

2095

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

–  Female

1455020

–  Male

1318853

–  Other

1278

–  Under Investigation

77950

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

5250

–  Asian

186875

–  Black

143466

–  Hispanic/Latino

1275476

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

14506

–  White

380955

–  Other

317077

–  Under Investigation

529496

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

–  Hospitalized (Ever)***

139,918

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

73

–  Asian

3814

–  Black

2830

–  Hispanic/Latino

15639

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

111

–  White

7631

–  Other

305

–  Under Investigation

88