The Los Angeles Post

With Small Increase in COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Sensible Protections Can Reduce Spread of Infection, Severe Illness

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As COVID-19 hospitalizations and emergency department visits increase slightly in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to ensure that residents have easy access to sensible protections, such as testing and treatment, to help reduce the spread of infection and prevent people from becoming very sick from COVID-19.

With reported COVID-19 hospitalizations rising slightly in Los Angeles County, Public Health officials remind residents to reduce risk from a   COVID-19 infection by testing if exposed or experiencing symptoms such as fever or chills, coughing, runny nose, fatigue and body aches, and staying home and seeking treatment as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms.

Testing can reduce the spread of COVID-19 to others, especially people who are vulnerable to severe illness from the virus. Free at-home tests are widely available through community partners and at libraries and public health clinics throughout Los Angeles County. Public Health distributed 305,946 antigen test kits for the week ending July 30, 2023, bringing the total number of test kits distributed in Los Angeles County in June and July 2023 to more than 2 million. To find out how and where to get free test kits, visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/covidtests.

For people who have tested positive, treatment is easy to access in Los Angeles County. Public Health offers free telehealth services that include delivering medicine directly to the person who needs it. Beginning treatment within five days of the start of symptoms can prevent serious illness and reduce the amount of time a person may test positive for COVID-19. Early evidence also suggests that treatment may lower the risk of developing long COVID. For free telehealth services and other COVID-19 resources, contact the Public Health Call Center at 1-833-540-0473. It’s open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

With fall approaching, Los Angeles County residents also should begin talking with their health care provider about updating protection against COVID-19, flu and, if 60 years or older or a very young child, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected to issue vaccination guidance for the anticipated fall COVID-19 vaccine in the upcoming weeks. Once approved, Public Health will work with community partners to make sure that residents have easy access to the updated COVID-19 vaccine and other recommended vaccines to protect against severe illness during fall and winter.

With the lifting of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine requirements for health care workers on Aug. 5, 2023, Los Angeles County will rescind the current Health Officer Order, COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Healthcare Workers. The COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be required for workers in health care settings; however, health care workers are encouraged to be fully up to date on COVID-19 vaccines.  When workers in health care settings are up to date on their vaccines, there is both a reduced risk to patients and among health care workers themselves, as vaccines provide strong protection against severe illness that harms patients and staff.

Public Health will wait until the FDA and CDC issue vaccination guidance for the anticipated fall vaccine before updating appropriate vaccination safety protections for health care workers.

Health care workers should continue to wear a well-fitting mask when providing care to or working in-person with patients, clients and residents and when in patient care areas in health care and direct care settings in accordance with Health Officer Order, Required Masking of Workers in Healthcare and Direct Care Settings.

Public Health continues to monitor COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. If there are significant changes in level of transmission, hospitalizations or Early Alert Metrics, Public Health will review and revise current policies.

Los Angeles County remains in the CDC Low Hospital Admission Level with 3.0 weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, reported on July 31 for the seven-day period ending July 22. Hospital Admission Levels replaced COVID-19 Community Levels.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization, and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks.

Metric

Date of Weekly Report

8/2/2023

7/26/2023

7/19/2023

7/12/2023

Daily average cases

264

206

202

152

SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value

12%

16%

10%

8%

Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related

3.2%

2.7%

2.5%

2.4%

Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations

245

228

221

213

Daily average deaths

0.7

2.6

2.3

3.4

Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19

1.4%

1.2%

0.5%

1.2%

All daily averages are 7-day averages. Data for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED data = week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag.

Case data is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death data is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death data were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases and deaths do not include Long Beach and Pasadena.

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/COVIDdata including:

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

Cases through 12:00pm 7/31/2023

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)

3,765,692

Deaths (includes LB and Pas)

36,585

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

– 0 to 4

112,849

– 5 to 11

283,515

– 12 to 17

278,231

– 18 to 29

761,495

– 30 to 49

1,140,201

– 50 to 64

619,038

– 65 to 79

267,983

–  over 80

94,820

–  Under Investigation

2,567

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

–  Female

1,838,403

–  Male

1,631,274

–  Other

1,856

–  Under Investigation

89,166

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

6,747

–  Asian

265,740

–  Black

187,718

–  Hispanic/Latino

1,519,594

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

17,817

–  White

495,367

–  Other

409,746

–  Under Investigation

657,970

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

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

181,516

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

79

–  Asian

4,538

–  Black

3,259

–  Hispanic/Latino

16,937

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

116

–  White

9,261

–  Other

428

–  Under Investigation

91