Updated Bivalent Boosters Remain Essential to Reducing COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths in Los Angeles County
1,417 New Positive Cases and 19 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County
For the third consecutive week, Los Angeles County is in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Low COVID-19 Community Level. Use of bivalent boosters, therapeutics, and other common sense mitigation measures are helping to tamper transmission and prevent severe illness, these tools will continue to be essential even as we move into a new phase of the pandemic.
This week, Los Angeles County’s Low Community Level included a 7-day case rate of 69 new cases per 100,000 people, a nominal increase from the 65 new cases per 100,000 people a week prior. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is currently 7.0, a small decline from 7.2 last week. And the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is now 4.0 percent, down from 4.6 percent the week prior.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) especially stresses the importance of staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. Local data provides powerful evidence of the very real protection offered by the bivalent booster even against the newer variants circulating now, including XBB.1.5.
It shows the significant differences in hospitalization and death rates based on a person’s vaccination coverage.
Public Health’s most recent hospitalization rates (for a 30-day period ending Jan. 17) found the following: unvaccinated individuals were hospitalized at a rate three times higher than those vaccinated without the updated booster and six times higher than those who had gotten the updated booster; those who had been vaccinated but didn’t have the updated booster were hospitalized at double the rate than those who did get the bivalent booster.
The most recent data on deaths (for a 30-day period ending Jan. 10) also painted a difficult picture for unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated individuals died at a rate four times higher than those vaccinated without the updated booster and seven and half times higher than those who had gotten the updated booster; those who had been vaccinated but didn’t get the updated booster died at a rate double than that of those who did get the bivalent booster.
The bivalent booster is available to all adults and children 6 months and older. Public Health urges everyone who has not yet received the bivalent booster to get it as soon as possible. About 22% of eligible people over the age of 12 have received the bivalent booster in Los Angeles County and over 5.5 million people are eligible for this booster right now.
For the past two years COVID-19 has been one of the top 10 leading causes of death in LA County including among children, with 21 pediatric deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic. In Los Angeles County, and nationwide, COVID-19 also remains a top 10 leading cause of death among adults.
“I recognize that many are experiencing the loss of loved ones from COVD-19. I extend my heartfelt condolences to those who are grieving and offer my wishes for healing and peace,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “It is a great relief to see that we remain in the Low Community Level and my sincere hope is that we are entering a new phase with less devastation, severe illness, and death as residents continue to take advantage of the protections available. Over the next few months, emergency orders at the federal and state level will lift, but we must not let go of all the lessons learned since March 2020, including those about how the virus spreads and how we can limit transmission and serious outcomes.”
For more information about vaccinations and boosters, testing and treatment, visit VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (en español) or call 1-833-540-0473 seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles County is currently reporting a steady number COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations compared to the week prior, with deaths slightly lower when compared to most of January.
Today, Public Health reported 19 additional deaths and 1,417 new positive cases. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 35,325. There are 687 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.
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.
- COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)
- COVID-19 Locations & Demographics (data by demographic characteristics and geography, active outbreaks, and citations)
- COVID-19 Response Plan
- COVID-19 Vaccinations
- Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics
Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
http://publichealth.lacounty.
- California Department of Public Health:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/
coronavirus/2019-ncov/index. html
Spanish https://espanol.cdc.
- World Health Organization https://www.who.
int/health-topics/coronavirus - LA County residents can also call 2-1-1
For more information:
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Cases through 12:00pm 2/2/2023 |
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|
|
Total Cases |
|
|
Laboratory Confirmed Cases |
3,680,571 |
|
|
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas) |
3,480,230 |
|
|
— Long Beach |
161,090 |
|
|
— Pasadena |
39,251 |
|
|
Deaths |
35,325 |
|
|
— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas) |
33,506 |
|
|
— Long Beach |
1,377 |
|
|
— Pasadena |
442 |
|
|
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) |
|
|
|
– 0 to 4 |
109,756 |
|
|
– 5 to 11 |
280,831 |
|
|
– 12 to 17 |
275,604 |
|
|
– 18 to 29 |
749,473 |
|
|
– 30 to 49 |
1,117,643 |
|
|
– 50 to 64 |
601,971 |
|
|
– 65 to 79 |
254,581 |
|
|
– over 80 |
87,915 |
|
|
– Under Investigation |
2,456 |
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Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) |
|
|
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– Female |
1,793,686 |
|
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– Male |
1,596,463 |
|
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– Other |
1,741 |
|
|
– Under Investigation |
88,340 |
|
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Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) |
|
|
|
– American Indian/Alaska Native |
6,607 |
|
|
– Asian |
257,941 |
|
|
– Black |
181,825 |
|
|
– Hispanic/Latino |
1,492,770 |
|
|
– Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
17,492 |
|
|
– White |
480,545 |
|
|
– Other |
398,169 |
|
|
– Under Investigation |
644,881 |
|
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Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) |
|
|
|
– Hospitalized (Ever) |
170,698 |
|
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Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) |
|
|
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– American Indian/Alaska Native |
78 |
|
|
– Asian |
4,335 |
|
|
– Black |
3,141 |
|
|
– Hispanic/Latino |
16,571 |
|
|
– Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
115 |
|
|
– White |
8,788 |
|
|
– Other |
390 |
|
|
– Under Investigation |
88 |
