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

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For Immediate Release:

May 21, 2021

L.A. County to Align with State June 15 Reopening - 15 New Deaths and 264 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 15 new deaths and 264 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 15 new deaths reported today, six people that passed away were over the age of 80, one person who died was between the ages of 65 and 79, four people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,238,367 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,154 deaths. There are 355 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 6,682,000 individuals with 17% of people testing positive. Today's daily test positivity rate is 0.4%.

Los Angeles County will align with the State's June 15 plans that ease many capacity limits and distancing requirements and adopt CDC's masking guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to wear masks in most situations. There are specific requirements for large capacity indoor events. The County will also follow the State on lifting current travel restrictions on June 15 to align with CDC travel recommendations.

Current County reopening protocols will be amended or retired on June 15 to reflect these changes.

"To everyone mourning the loss of a loved one, you remain in our thoughts and our prayers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "I, like everyone in California, look forward to the changes that will come on June 15. Together, we all worked hard and continue to work hard to keep numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths low in L.A. County. I can't emphasize enough how the vaccine has allowed us to get to a place where we can safely do the things that we loved to do before the pandemic. If you have been putting off getting vaccinated, I ask that you not delay any longer and get vaccinated. The COVID-19 infection, hospitalizations and deaths that are still occurring are almost all among people not fully vaccinated. This is preventable."

If you are not yet vaccinated or unable to get vaccinated, it is very important that you continue to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance when around others not in your household and consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.

This weekend at County-run vaccination sites and L.A. City vaccination sites, everyone 18 years and older getting their first COVID-19 vaccine will have a chance to enter the Los Angeles Lakers 2021-22 Season Ticket Vaccination Sweepstakes to win a pair (2) of season tickets for next season. For additional information and locations, visit: Lakers Vaccination Sweepstakes.

The number of COVID-19 cases among people experiencing homelessness remains substantially lower than the peak of 608 weekly cases reported during late-December. There were 42 new cases among people experiencing homelessness reported this week. The number of new cases reported this week includes 31 cases from previous weeks that were newly identified as cases associated with people experiencing homelessness and are included in the new case totals. To date, 7,099 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County tested positive for COVID-19 and 208 people who were experiencing homelessness passed away from COVID-19. Of the people experiencing homelessness who passed away, 94 were sheltered, 69 were unsheltered, and for 45 people who passed away, their shelter status was unknown.

There are 147 providers administering vaccinations to people experiencing homelessness; together they have administered over 22,630 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to people experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County. The County continues to work closely with partner organizations to vaccinate and protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 vaccinations are available at County-run sites and many community sites without an appointment. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. To find a vaccination site near you, to make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, 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 1238367*

Deaths 24154

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. 18 cases and 1 death 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.

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