On Tuesday, June 15, California officially reopened as the state celebrates a new chapter in the pandemic, which started a little over a year ago. Thanks to vaccinations, people are able to interact and engage in everyday life once again with little to no restrictions.
Statistics are still showing inequities in vaccinations among younger demographics as public health urges unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated before the 4th of July holiday.
“In any setting, if you are not vaccinated and around people outside your household, your mask offers the best protection against the virus,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.
She continued, “With distancing requirements and capacity limits in almost all settings lifted, wearing an appropriate mask is critically important for those not yet vaccinated, including the 1.2 million children between the ages of 2 and 12. Unvaccinated adults that are in close contact with others should consider wearing a double mask or a respirator, which offer more protection for the wearer.”
There continues to be a gap in COVID-19 vaccinations in racial and ethnic groups in Los Angeles County. Of Black and Latinx teens, half are getting vaccinated compared to White and Asian teens. Among teens, ages 12-15 years old, 13% of Black and 18% of Latinx teens have been vaccinated, compared with 48% Asian and 34% of White teens. Among teens, ages 16-17 years old, 23% of Black and 35% of Latinx teens have been vaccinated, compared with 72% Asian and 53% of White teens.
The differences seem to be the same for young adults, ages 18-29 years old: 25% of Black adults and 39% of Latinx adults have been vaccinated, compared with 72% of Asian and 55% of White adults. L.A. County continues to see a disproportionate rate among Black residents ages 30-49 years old with 36% of Black adults and 47% of Latinx adults have been vaccinated, compared with 70% of Asian and 60% of White adults.
“We continue to get vaccines to everyone who wants one, and to help answer questions and provide vaccine information to those making a decision on getting vaccinated,” said Ferrer.
As of Monday, June 14, the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health confirmed 2 new deaths and 135 new cases of COVID-19. There were 212 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with 17% of nearly 6,902,000 individuals testing positive with symptoms.
Public Health identified 1,246,436 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,415 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,181,653 cases, Long Beach with 53,476 cases and Pasadena with 11,307 cases.
According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 2,008; Asian with 56,738; Black with 47,141; Hispanic/Latino with 633,749; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,234; White with 130,799; those of other race and ethnicity with 98,702 and 208,237 under investigation.
For more information, visit COVID19.ca.gov/vax-for-the-win. To schedule an appointment to be vaccinated, visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call the CA COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255.
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
