As the later end of January is still expected to be the worst of the surge, large vaccination sites are getting ready.
As of Monday, January 11, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 137 new deaths and new cases 12,617 of COVID-19. There were 7,910 people with COVID-19 hospitalized with 22% of these people in the ICU. According to the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health, statistics show that L.A County has gone from an average of 791 people hospitalized two months ago to about 8,000 patients, an increase of 1,000%.
The happiest place on Earth AKA Disneyland joins Dodger Stadium as a major vaccination site. It’s been stated that Disneyland will be one of the largest sites vaccinating the public in Southern California. Dodger Stadium will no longer be a testing site as it changes to a vaccination site as well and looks to vaccinate up to 12,000 people a day when it becomes operational.
The L.A. County Dept. of Public Health has reported an increase in deaths among vulnerable groups such as the homeless and incarcerated individuals. They’ve reported up 2 deaths a week among the homeless in early December and rising to 14 over a seven-day period ending in early January. The recent surge has seen 3 deaths a week among the incarcerated with a total of 4 deaths over a seven-day period ending in early January.
The end of January will signal the end of Phase 1A and beginning of Phase 1B, which includes essential workers and older individuals. Phase 1C will begin in late March and includes people with underlying health conditions. On January 19, Public Health will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall to inform residents to learn more details about the vaccine and immunization in the coming weeks and months. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information, visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
“We are approaching the one-year anniversary of our first known positive case in L.A. County,” stated Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We understand it’s been a long and exhausting journey these past 12 months. With the roll out of vaccinations, there is hope for a brighter future. However, we need to make sure everyone survives to benefit from the vaccine. Now is not the time to meet with friends at your home to watch the game. It is not the time to go for a walk without a mask. All it takes is one mistake and soon, five, 10 or 20 other people become infected – many of whom could be your friends, family members, or colleagues. This deadly virus continues to spread at alarming rates and the most important way to stop it in its tracks is to avoid interactions with others and protect ourselves at all times.”
Public Health identified 932,697 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 12,387 deaths. Across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 885,830 cases, Long Beach with 38,470 cases and Pasadena with 8,397. According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 1,551; Asian with 35,224; Black with 29,379; Hispanic/Latino with 401,956; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 3,394; White with 84,991; those of other race and ethnicity with 91,109 and 238,226 under investigation.
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 .
