As California prepares to fully reopen with no restrictions at indoor and outdoor venues and no social distancing starting June 15, vaccinations are being thanked for getting the state to this point. Public Health is still seeing low numbers among young adults being vaccinated in L.A. County. For those who may be struggling finding transportation, rideshare companies are ready to get people to vaccination sites.
“We can now proudly say that more than 50% of L.A. County residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is truly thrilling to see us reach this landmark, and I thank everyone who has done their part to get us to this point. The high levels of vaccine uptake in seniors are what we’re really striving for in other adults.”
Public health reported between April 1 and May 15, younger adults between the ages of 30-49 made up a large majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations. It’s strongly being advised for young adults to get vaccinated to slow transmission and the severity of COVID-19.
Before April, young adults had low rates compared to older adults.
Public Health is also helping people who may be struggling getting to a vaccination site. Uber and Lyft rideshare apps are offering free roundtrip rides to some vaccination sites within their apps. However, if anyone is seeking assistance scheduling a ride or want to get to a vaccination site not listed in the app, they can contact the Public Health call center at 1-833-540-0473 and you will be connected to free transportation.
As of Monday, May 24, the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health confirmed 4 new deaths and 139 new cases of COVID-19. There were 319 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with 17% of nearly 6,710,000 individuals testing positive with symptoms.
Public Health identified 1,238,919 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,175 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,174,352 cases, Long Beach with 53,287 cases and Pasadena with 11,280.
According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with1,998; Asian with 56,368; Black with 46,281; Hispanic/Latino with 630,484; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,202; White with 129,602; those of other race and ethnicity with 98,067 and 207,350 under investigation.
“The most important work to be done, with the largest impact, is engaging with residents in our communities to provide high-quality information about the vaccines, dispel false myths and to answer questions,” said Ferrer. “We hope that by taking vaccines to people and responding to concerns about vaccine safety, we can make the progress needed to get to community immunity.”
For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/
For more detailed information on COVID-19 vaccination plans in L.A. County and to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com
