Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the license for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease for individuals 16 and older. The licensing approval was announced after another thorough evaluation of safety and effectiveness. Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, a Los Angeles County Health Officer, is grateful for the approval and hopes it will ease the minds of those concerned about taking the vaccine.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and remains the most powerful tool we have to both lower our risk of infection and protect against serious illness and death from COVID-19 if infected,” said Davis. “We are grateful to the many scientists and researchers who have worked tirelessly to develop and evaluate the vaccines during the most challenging public health crisis of our lifetime.”
He continued, “We are also grateful to the FDA for their thoughtful analyses and review processes to ensure that we can have the highest confidence that the vaccine is safe and effective. I hope the milestone of this vaccine’s full approval gives those that were waiting to get vaccinated the confidence to now take this important step.”
As of Monday, August 23, Public Health reported seven new deaths and stated 2,331 new cases of COVID-19. There were 1,722 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with 16% of nearly 7,940,000 individuals testing positive with symptoms.
Public Health identified 1,385,505 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,078 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,313,497 cases, Long Beach with 59,520 cases and Pasadena with 12,488 cases.
According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 2,214; Asian with 62,563; Black with 60,494; Hispanic/Latino with 683,509; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,830; White with 155,140; those of other race and ethnicity with 111,937 and 232,810 under investigation. Dr. Davis stated masks stay an essential part in fighting COVID-19 as well as social distancing when necessary and hygiene.
“The other tools to help reduce and prevent transmission are wearing a mask, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing your hands frequently.”
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
For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/
Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:
*Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
*California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html
*World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
*LA County residents can also call 2-1-1
