Los Angeles County is still in a slow decline in hospitalizations rates due to COVID-19. Mobile vaccination units continue to distribute vaccines throughout the county and public health continues to make receiving the vaccine equitable for everyone. Public Health continues to accentuate the importance being vaccinated.
“On average, we are still losing 10 of our residents each day to this infection,” Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The three vaccines we now have would prevent almost everyone vaccinated from getting infected, being hospitalized and dying.
She continued, “Just about everyone dying today from COVID-19 would be alive if they were fully vaccinated. While it has been a frightening year, filled with unknowns about this new virus and frequently-changing guidance about everything from masks to wiping down groceries, we do know that the three vaccines we are using are very safe. We know this because of real-time data collected from the nearly 140 million people already vaccinated in the United States, and a national vaccine safety program that works effectively to identify any rare and potentially serious side effects or adverse events as they happen.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, senior citizens were the majority of those being hospitalized. The recent months have seen a slow decline with seniors hospitalized drop from 20% to below 13%. Among younger adults hospitalized with COVID-19, the numbers have been the same.
The vaccine continues to be made available to underserved areas via mobile vaccination units. As of earlier this week, there were 111 mobile sites scheduled throughout L.A. County, which includes faith-based organizations, senior housing, food and agriculture sites, metro stations and other community sites. To date, partnerships with faith-based organizations have helped deliver nearly 30,000 total doses of vaccine.
As of Monday, April 26, the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health confirmed four deaths and 288 new cases of COVID-19. There were 407 people with COVID-19 hospitalized with 18% testing positive.
Public Health identified 1,231,806 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,777 deaths. Cases across the Southland: Los Angeles County shows 1,167,801 cases, Long Beach with 52,800 cases and Pasadena with 11,205.
According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 1,983; Asian with 55,254; Black with 44,915; Hispanic/Latino with 607,952; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,170; White with 126,483; those of other race and ethnicity with 102,941 and 224,103 under investigation.
Public Health is committed on ensuring an equitable distribution of vaccines and ensuring eligible residents and workers in hard hit communities have increased access to vaccines. Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn how to make an appointment at vaccination sites, what verifications people will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.
Non-compliance and dangerous conditions at businesses and worksites can be reported to Public Health by phone at 888-700-9995 or online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. These tips can be submitted anonymously.
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
