The Los Angeles Post

Los Angeles County Promotes Sensible Strategies to Reduce Dangers Associated with COVID-19

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932 New Positive Cases, 10 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With the lifting of county, state and federal COVID-19 emergency orders, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to ensure easy access to free vaccines, boosters, tests and therapeutics.  With changes in federal and state guidance, Los Angeles County urges residents to maintain sensible precautions to minimize disruptions at worksites, schools and health care facilities caused by COVID-19 outbreaks.

Most worksites across the county (including schools) must adhere to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL/OSHA) requirements which state employers must:

  • Ensure employees that test positive are not at the worksite for at least five days. Employees can return to work between days six through 10 after testing positive if they have not had a fever for a 24-hour period without using fever-reducing medication and other symptoms are resolved or improving. They must wear a mask around others for a total of 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19.
  • Identify and notify employees who were exposed to someone with COVID-19 during the virus’s infectious period.
  • Make testing available to all employees at no cost who had close contact with an infected person at the workplace.
  • Ensure all employees who had close contact with a known COVID-19 case, and remain at work, take a COVID-19 test within 3-5 days after the close contact in the event of an outbreak.

All worksites are required to report to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health clusters of three or more cases over 14 days; this allows Public Health to assist worksites to reduce additional transmission that can lead to significant disruptions and possible severe illness. Case clusters can be reported to Public Health at 1-888-397-3993.

“I would like to extend my deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “With continued stable COVID metrics, we’ll align our guidance with the reduced risk facing many residents while acknowledging that COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are ongoing and many in Los Angeles County are still feeling the impacts of the pandemic. CAL/OSHA is clear that worksites need to be safe by protecting workers from transmission of COVID-19.  We encourage everyone to be mindful of worksite rules and do their best to not transmit this virus to others by isolating when infected and using masks and tests appropriately when exposed to the virus. Together our efforts provide support to those who are most vulnerable and minimize the disruptions to school, work, and our daily lives.”

Beginning in April, in alignment with both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Public Health will change to weekly reporting of COVID-19 case, hospitalization and death data on Thursdays. The last day of daily reporting will be Tuesday, March 28.

The 7-day average case count for COVID-19 dropped nearly 18% from the week prior from 726 last week to an average of 593 this week. Reported average daily deaths remained stable at about 12 deaths reported per day. The 7-day average of new COVID-19 positive hospital admissions is 68 this week, down from 76 last week. The 7-day average for test positivity remained stable at about 4%.

Los Angeles County remains in the CDC’s Low COVID-19 Community Level for the 10th consecutive week. This includes a 7-day case rate of 41 new cases per 100,000 people, a decrease from the week prior. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is currently 4.5, a decrease from last week’s rate of 5.4. And the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is now 2.6%, down from the week prior.

Today, Public Health reported 10 additional deaths and 932 new positive cases. Please note today’s total includes one week’s worth of cases (203) and deaths (0) reported by Long Beach, as that jurisdiction has moved to weekly reporting. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 35,970. There are 413 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.lacounty.gov including:

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

Cases through 12:00pm 3/23/2023

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,723,386

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

3,520,232

— Long Beach

163,254

— Pasadena

39,900

Deaths

35,970

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

34,137

— Long Beach

1,391

— Pasadena

442

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

– 0 to 4

111,120

– 5 to 11

282,232

– 12 to 17

277,167

– 18 to 29

755,888

– 30 to 49

1,129,305

– 50 to 64

610,421

– 65 to 79

260,628

–  over 80

90,986

–  Under Investigation

2,485

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

–  Female

1,815,836

–  Male

1,613,919

–  Other

1,785

–  Under Investigation

88,692

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

6,677

–  Asian

261,627

–  Black

184,684

–  Hispanic/Latino

1,507,548

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

17,626

–  White

488,034

–  Other

403,059

–  Under Investigation

650,977

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

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

175,131

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

80

–  Asian

4,430

–  Black

3,200

–  Hispanic/Latino

16,758

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

118

–  White

9,047

–  Other

413

–  Under Investigation

91