The Los Angeles Post

As COVID-19 Numbers Continue to Improve, Residents Can Take Steps to Protect the Most Vulnerable

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4,274 New Positive Cases and 13 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline, residents can help protect those who are the most vulnerable to the virus. Residents can help reduce the high rate of transmission by being fully vaccinated, getting tested when exposed and before gatherings, masking indoors, and staying home while sick or recovering from COVID-19.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of sequenced specimens and the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron remains the most predominant subvariant. In the week ending July 30, 88% of all sequenced specimens in LA County were BA.5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, across the country, as of the week ending August 13, the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 89% of specimens.

The relative proportions of other key sublineages Public Health is tracking changed only slightly, including BA.2.12.1 which has declined to 4%, and BA 4.6 which remains at just over 1.5%. To date, only three specimens of BA.2.75 have been detected, indicating no increased circulation of this sublineage here. This is welcome news since it indicates that the new strains currently circulating remain at a low level and do not appear poised to outcompete BA.5 in the very near future.

The 7-day average case count today is 3,577 cases, a 2% drop from 3,660 cases a week prior. The 7-day average test positivity rate over the past week also declined slightly to 10.1%, from 10.7% one week ago.

Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in LA County hospitals was 1,009, a decline of 10% from one week ago when the 7-day average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,118. The CDC reported LA County’s hospital admission rate at 8.9 weekly hospital admissions per 100,000 people, a decrease from the rate of 9.9 reported a week ago.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, dropped slightly to an average of 13 deaths reported each day this past week, compared to an average of 14 daily reported deaths one week ago.

Getting vaccinated continues to provide protection from severe illness and hospitalization, especially for the most vulnerable residents living in communities with high rates of poverty. For the 30-day period ending August 4, unvaccinated residents living in the highest poverty areas were 11 times more likely to be hospitalized than their vaccinated counterparts. And while 77% of LA County residents age 5 and older are fully vaccinated, only 35% of children 5-11 years old are fully vaccinated, and less than 7% of children under 5 have received at least one dose.

There are thousands of vaccination locations across the county. Residents can visit the Public Health website at VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find locations, and schedules for clinics offering COVID-19 vaccines.

For those who have any questions about vaccine safety and effectiveness, please reach out to your healthcare provider or speak with a Public Health staff member at the COVID-19 call center, 1-833-540-0473 between the hours of 8:00 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. “While lower case and hospitalizations are welcomed, the continued high rate of transmission places many individuals at elevated risk of getting infected, and, for some, there can be serious consequences to a COVID infection. People facing higher risk from COVID include many of our family and friends, along with community residents we encounter every day.  Older people, people with underlying health conditions, those who are immunocompromised and those who are unvaccinated are all at elevated risk of experiencing a bad outcome if they get infected. There are also many who face higher risk because their job brings them close to a large number of people. These are often the people we rely on every day to provide food and medicines, to take care of us when we are sick, to drive our buses and trains, to teach and care for our children, and to provide us with essential goods and services.  Others face higher risk because they live in very dense communities and overcrowded housing, where viral spread is easier. Living through times of high viral transmission, is like getting through a bad storm. While it is very helpful if each of us is able to have good rain gear, when the storm is of long duration, we often need additional help from others. Having everyone masking when indoors, testing when exposed or sick, staying home when ill, and being up-to-date on their vaccines, provides additional protections that can make a difference for those must vulnerable.”

Today, Public Health reported 13 additional deaths and 4,274 new positive cases today. Of the 13 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30 to 49, three people were between the ages of 50-64, two people were between the ages of 65-79, and seven people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 13 newly reported deaths, 11 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 33,003.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,375,907 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 10.1%.

There are 940 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,422,000 individuals, with 24% 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:

Cases through 12:00pm 08/18/2022

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,375,907

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

3,193,183

— Long Beach

147,702

— Pasadena

35,022

Deaths

33,003

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

31,268

— Long Beach

1,312

— Pasadena

423

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

– 0 to 4

100611

– 5 to 11

270691

– 12 to 17

264682

– 18 to 29

700647

– 30 to 49

1027843

– 50 to 64

538810

– 65 to 79

217152

–  over 80

70509

–  Under Investigation

2238

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

–  Female

1636943

–  Male

1469988

–  Other

1486

–  Under Investigation

84766

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

5990

–  Asian

224361

–  Black

162616

–  Hispanic/Latino

1388531

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

16246

–  White

430911

–  Other

362369

–  Under Investigation

602159

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

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

150,494

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

73

–  Asian

3950

–  Black

2915

–  Hispanic/Latino

15854

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

112

–  White

7937

–  Other

333

–  Under Investigation

94