LISTING OF DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRESS RELEASES
News Release
Los Angeles County Public Health Logo

313 N. Figueroa Street, Room 806  |  Los Angeles, CA 90012  |  (213) 240-8144  |  media@ph.lacounty.gov

twitter logo instagram logo facebook logo youtube logo Spotify logo

For Immediate Release:

February 26, 2021

Nearly 2 Million Doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Administered in Los Angeles County - 144 New Deaths and 1,838 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Nearly 1,960,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Los Angeles County. Of those vaccinated, 600,497 people have received second doses. The County's network of vaccination sites had the capacity to administer 500,000 doses this week, although we only received 211,000 doses of vaccine last week.

Next week on Monday, March 1, three additional sectors become eligible to receive vaccinations: education and childcare workers, food and agriculture workers, and emergency services and law enforcement workers. The County expects to receive 269,000 doses to be distributed next week, of these, 103,000 will be provided for first doses. Those who fall under the newly eligible sectors will be able to get vaccinated at many sites across the County. Workers will be required to show proof of their identity with a photo ID and proof that they reside or work in L.A. County. Partnerships have been established to facilitate the vaccination process throughout the County.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 144 new deaths and 1,838 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,189,232 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 21,241 deaths.

Over the last five days the County has averaged 1,820 new cases a day.

There are 1,886 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are in the ICU. The daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has steadily declined from a high of over 8,000 in January.

Testing results are available for more than 5,811,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today's daily test positivity rate is 2.9%.

Of the 144 new deaths reported today, 47 people that passed away were over the age of 80, 45 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, 40 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, six people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29. Three deaths were reported by the City of Long Beach and one death was reported by the City of Pasadena.

"Our hearts go out to the families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. We are deeply sorry for your loss and wish you peace,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We are very hopeful our allocation of COVID-19 vaccination doses increases as more vaccine options become available. The more people that are protected with vaccine, combined with businesses and residents following the safety measures, the quicker we drive down cases and the sooner we move to less restrictive tiers that allow for additional reopening."

The FDA has recommended Emergency Use Authorization for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This vaccine requires a single dose. Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial data indicate that the vaccine is very effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 disease and 100% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths. With the potential influx of supply, this vaccine could greatly accelerate progress in our vaccination efforts.

L.A. County is working to ensure that eligible residents and workers in the hardest hit communities have increased access to vaccines. For information about vaccine appointments in L.A. County and when your turn is coming up, to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Please see additional information below:

Laboratory Confirmed Total Cases 1189232*

Deaths 21241

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

Hospitalization

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

CITY / COMMUNITY** Cases (Case Rate)

These numbers are subject to change based on further investigation. 80 cases and 5 deaths previously reported were not in Public Health's jurisdiction. * Means that case numbers include cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks located in the city/community. **Rate is crude and is per 100,000. This represents the number of cases per 100,000 people and allows for the proportional comparison of cities of different sizes.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well-being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises nearly 4,500 employees and has an annual budget of $1.2 billion. To learn more about Los Angeles County Public Health, please visit www.publichealth .lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lacounty.gov, and follow LA County Public Health on social media at twitter.com/lapublichealth, facebook.com/lapublichealth, instagram.com/lapublichealth and youtube.com/lapublichealth.


#####