Positive Test Rate Drops Among Students and Staff as Schools Continue Implementing Strategies For Safe In-Person Learning - 31,018 New Positive Cases and 59 New Deaths Due to COVID- 19 in Los Angeles County

With most schools open for in-person learning, recent Public Health data showed test positivity rates dropped among students and staff while the number of schools reporting cases increased sharply coinciding with the re-opening of LAUSD campuses.

For the week of January 9th through January 15th, there were 1,032 K-12 schools reporting positive cases; this represented a 55% increase since the first week of December 2021, when 665 schools reported positive cases.

Also, for the week ending January 15th, there were almost 595,000 tests administered to students and staff at K-12 schools. Of those, 11% were positive, down from 15% the prior week. Although an estimated 65,000 students and staff tested positive last week, only three new outbreaks (2 elementary schools and 1 in high school) were identified signaling that most of the recent cases represent high rates of community transmission.

To help ensure safety at schools, over 140 school-based vaccine clinics are scheduled this week and nearly 500 school-based vaccine clinics are scheduled in February. School vaccine clinics offer pediatric doses for those 5-11 years of age, as well as boosters for eligible students 12 years of age and older. As a reminder, vaccines continue to provide the best protection against illness and hospitalizations and are the safest way to keep kids in school and other activities.

Schools are working with Public Health and the LA County Office of Education to increase testing capacity to best manage potential school exposures while supporting in-person learning for as many students as possible. All infected students and staff are required to isolate at home away from others for a minimum of 5 days. Asymptomatic students and staff that test negative on day 5 of their isolation period may return to school on or after day 6 of their isolation period, returning students and staff must remain asymptomatic and always wear a high-grade mask when around others, both indoors and outdoors until 10 days have passed from their positive test or the day their symptoms began. Schools can receive assistance from Public Health to support case identification, notification, and contact tracing.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Keeping our schools available for in-person learning during this Omicron fueled surge is not easy and I commend our school communities for all the work they are doing to keep children and staff safe. This is particularly challenging in our elementary schools where, on average, three-quarters of students are not fully vaccinated, making it critically important to use infection control practices to limit spread of a highly infectious variant.

“Prioritizing and ensuring safety at schools during a surge is only possible if all those at the school commit to complying fully with public health measures; this cannot be accomplished by administrators or staff alone. Wearing a high- grade face mask both indoors and outdoors when around others is absolutely essential, as all evidence points to the effectiveness of well-fitting high-quality masks in limiting spread of virus particles,” Ferrer continued. “Frequent testing can help identify asymptomatic individuals before they have a lot of opportunities to transmit to others, so parents are urged to allow their children to participate in school testing programs. And everyone infected and exposed will need to follow the school-based isolation and quarantine rules that are meant to reduce school outbreaks. Without everyone working together to minimize exposures, there could be more disruptions affecting school communities across the county.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 59 additional deaths and 31,018 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 59 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, two were between the ages of 30 and 49, 11 were between the ages of 50 and 64, 30 were between the ages of 65-79, and 15 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 59 newly reported deaths, 51 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,181.

Public Health has identified a total 2,343,821 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 16.9%.

There are 4,799 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,725,900 individuals, with 20% of people testing positive.

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

· Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

· Remain home when sick, isolate if positive and quarantine when in close contact.

Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated. Close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).

If you need assistance, you can also call 1-833-540-0473 for help:

Finding an appointment, Connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or Schedule a home visit if you are homebound.

For more information regarding COVID-19 in LA County you can also visit the Public Health website at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov here you will find information on:

COVID-19 sector protocols & best practices,

COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboards, and

COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive and, Recovery Dashboards

Please see additional information below:

Cases through 12:00pm 01/18/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,343,821	31018
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,223,148	23761
-- Long Beach	98,346	6910
-- Pasadena	22,327	347
Deaths	28,181	59
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	26,716	59
-- Long Beach	1,088	0
-- Pasadena	377	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	62512
- 5 to 11	176002
- 12 to 17	178722
- 18 to 29	510710
- 30 to 49	713581
- 50 to 64	369592
- 65 to 79	140617
- over 80	46200
- Under Investigation	1451
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1116074
- Male	1022352
- Other	871
- Under Investigation	60090
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	3835
- Asian	122686
- Black	112295
- Hispanic/Latino	1030094
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	11026
- White	283138
- Other	226552
- Under Investigation	409761
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	117726	**DATA Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	64
- Asian	3435
- Black	2407
- Hispanic/Latino	14051
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	96
- White	6407
- Other	214
- Under Investigation	42
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	2633	12608
City of Alhambra	13734	15836
City of Arcadia	6399	11080
City of Artesia	3455	20572
City of Avalon	50	1292
City of Azusa	11479	22940
City of Baldwin Park	19628	25568
City of Bell	11132	30640
City of Bell Gardens	11722	27216
City of Bellflower	19523	25115
City of Beverly Hills	6888	19954
City of Bradbury	54	5051
City of Burbank	18471	17234
City of Calabasas	3215	13218
City of Carson	21183	22572
City of Cerritos	6851	13684
City of Claremont	4884	13387
City of Commerce*	3731	28548
City of Compton	27857	27884
City of Covina	12368	25224
City of Cudahy	8147	33462
City of Culver City	6006	15066
City of Diamond Bar	7260	12623
City of Downey	30279	26499
City of Duarte	4316	19604
City of El Monte	27168	23167
City of El Segundo	2342	13952
City of Gardena	13369	21806
City of Glendale	37697	18256
City of Glendora	9781	18537
City of Hawaiian Gardens	3526	24026
City of Hawthorne	19336	21778
City of Hermosa Beach	2839	14433
City of Hidden Hills	219	11587
City of Huntington Park	18127	30474
City of Industry	270	61785
City of Inglewood	25365	22332
City of Irwindale	466	31940
City of La Canada Flintridge	2377	11487
City of La Habra Heights	151	2768
City of La Mirada	8598	17335
City of La Puente	10563	25955
City of La Verne	5987	17989
City of Lakewood	15495	19282
City of Lancaster*	41824	25886
City of Lawndale	6884	20480
City of Lomita	3507	16918
City of Lynwood*	20649	28660
City of Malibu	1698	13101
City of Manhattan Beach	4169	11581
City of Maywood	8463	30172
City of Monrovia	6702	17273
City of Montebello	16285	25297
City of Monterey Park	9301	14938
City of Norwalk	27812	25842
City of Palmdale	43907	27620
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1260	9318
City of Paramount	15847	28287
City of Pico Rivera	17700	27534
City of Pomona	42868	27492
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	4051	9477
City of Redondo Beach	8308	12094
City of Rolling Hills	162	8351
City of Rolling Hills Estates	814	10033
City of Rosemead	8668	15660
City of San Dimas*	6602	19127
City of San Fernando	8840	35917
City of San Gabriel	5970	14577
City of San Marino	1103	8308
City of Santa Clarita	45763	20761
City of Santa Fe Springs	5274	28719
City of Santa Monica	13855	14987
City of Sierra Madre	1216	11066
City of Signal Hill	2435	20641
City of South El Monte	5441	26052
City of South Gate	31312	31901
City of South Pasadena	3231	12402
City of Temple City	4945	13565
City of Torrance	18373	12309
City of Vernon	219	104785
City of Walnut	3806	12466
City of West Covina	24096	22263
City of West Hollywood	6776	18338
City of Westlake Village	229	2739
City of Whittier	19556	22367
Los Angeles	966942	23907
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2092	25506
Los Angeles - Alsace	2928	23528
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	516	20624
Los Angeles - Arleta	11639	33864
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	2956	20155
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	6129	19692
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1221	14486
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	1938	15473
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	2471	18758
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	27477	31625
Los Angeles - Brentwood	4560	14731
Los Angeles - Brookside	81	13941
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1519	21331
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	16772	25689
Los Angeles - Carthay	2419	16842
Los Angeles - Central	12128	31104
Los Angeles - Century City	1804	14103
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	11262	33353
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	7688	20744
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1283	13990
Los Angeles - Chinatown	1618	20172
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	3293	22628
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	2918	19257
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	3173	22945
Los Angeles - Crestview	2371	20857
Los Angeles - Del Rey	4987	16659
Los Angeles - Downtown*	9609	34933
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	7383	18649
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	5950	20316
Los Angeles - Echo Park	2722	19094
Los Angeles - El Sereno	11007	26327
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1121	19625
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2210	21728
Los Angeles - Encino	8482	18777
Los Angeles - Exposition	773	23241
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	11429	25445
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	732	20333
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	2505	28724
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	16167	34075
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	6571	20792
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	2757	25613
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	13379	22992
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	6993	32518
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	2761	16204
Los Angeles - Harbor City	5725	19694
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	9950	22821
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	388	16106
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	4173	23138
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	12386	32651
Los Angeles - Highland Park	10711	22134
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	3496	25205
Los Angeles - Hollywood	13329	19529
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	4366	14833
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	7580	26558
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2054	25443
Los Angeles - Koreatown	10029	19401
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	989	21693
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	10234	24248
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	3887	29597
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	3480	22842
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	8413	25809
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	1936	24125
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	5226	18438
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	829	26460
Los Angeles - Longwood	1100	25558
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3045	14092
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2022	23688
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	424	13572
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	5885	13857
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	534	12248
Los Angeles - Melrose	16362	21059
Los Angeles - Mid-city	2773	18450
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	2841	15796
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	8030	33286
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	5208	21570
Los Angeles - North Hills	16714	27144
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	38957	25728
Los Angeles - Northridge	15634	22399
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	2499	11737
Los Angeles - Pacoima	27230	35373
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	459	11934
Los Angeles - Palms	6607	15058
Los Angeles - Panorama City	22461	29849
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	1794	13211
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	11221	26818
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	340	10638
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	1872	17101
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	5858	16461
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	1115	16997
Los Angeles - Regent Square	554	19928
Los Angeles - Reseda	20794	27140
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1172	25280
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	693	16391
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	16224	20790
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	827	18618
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	15394	17643
Los Angeles - Silverlake	7835	17773
Los Angeles - South Carthay	1868	17631
Los Angeles - South Park	12260	32296
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	1176	25654
Los Angeles - Studio City	3676	16381
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	16015	30515
Los Angeles - Sunland	4295	21046
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	95	14683
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	28273	34313
Los Angeles - Tarzana	6520	21117
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	8942	22648
Los Angeles - Thai Town	1792	18269
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	1390	15970
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	296	22665
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	272	14639
Los Angeles - Tujunga	5626	20230
Los Angeles - University Hills	588	17148
Los Angeles - University Park	6805	24785
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	7398	24647
Los Angeles - Valley Village	4997	20214
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	25399	27254
Los Angeles - Venice	5508	16255
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	5160	30000
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	2606	34034
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	12904	31331
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	17773	34180
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	1866	22217
Los Angeles - View Heights	608	16459
Los Angeles - Watts	13438	31490
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	1137	23133
Los Angeles - West Adams	6962	25197
Los Angeles - West Hills	7074	17447
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	6268	16654
Los Angeles - West Vernon	17033	31752
Los Angeles - Westchester	7269	14086
Los Angeles - Westlake	13747	23161
Los Angeles - Westwood	7670	14175
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	12657	35033
Los Angeles - Wilmington	15895	28139
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	10269	20468
Los Angeles - Winnetka	12690	24505
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	11955	17567
Unincorporated - Acton	1229	15418
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	660	15873
Unincorporated - Altadena	6837	15674
Unincorporated - Anaverde	263	17440
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	59	4739
Unincorporated - Arcadia	1195	14973
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	11948	28151
Unincorporated - Athens Village	1903	38861
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	1841	27173
Unincorporated - Azusa	4130	25937
Unincorporated - Bassett	4035	27232
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	127	11836
Unincorporated - Bradbury	55	50926
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	2139	27679
Unincorporated - Castaic*	6256	23008
Unincorporated - Cerritos	121	20613
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	1	5000
Unincorporated - Claremont	76	10826
Unincorporated - Covina	4089	24312
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	2965	22558
Unincorporated - Del Aire	751	17095
Unincorporated - Del Rey	75	23585
Unincorporated - Del Sur	439	18178
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	632	25351
Unincorporated - Duarte	1312	29630
Unincorporated - East Covina	64	19453
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	1014	19161
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	30	26316
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	39992	31925
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	272	4248
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	4246	27737
Unincorporated - East Whittier	871	16415
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	1579	17962
Unincorporated - El Monte	41	28276
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	168	10114
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	21787	33671
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	1	8333
Unincorporated - Glendora	144	21818
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	9532	17044
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	3	300000
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	516	20525
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	99	9016
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	430	30453
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	2414	12191
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	17	2515
Unincorporated - La Rambla	496	23904
Unincorporated - La Verne*	387	18971
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	1077	15231
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	116	17365
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	2769	21310
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	277	16859
Unincorporated - Lakewood	1	877
Unincorporated - Lennox	5468	24257
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	228	13021
Unincorporated - Littlerock	952	23676
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	234	18042
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	848	23760
Unincorporated - Llano	83	9464
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	1399	14866
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	711	18320
Unincorporated - Newhall	74	33636
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	271	22621
Unincorporated - North Whittier	1947	23289
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	3275	13625
Unincorporated - Padua Hills	17	7907
Unincorporated - Palmdale	186	22090
Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula	53	8535
Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano	261	13344
Unincorporated - Pellissier Village	263	42488
Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon	10	2174
Unincorporated - Pomona	116	5986
Unincorporated - Quartz Hill	2600	20146
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	772	29012
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	177	19012
Unincorporated - Rosewood	335	26050
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	344	28835
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	926	27551
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	6765	13259
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	31	3613
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	5320	26309
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	55	2703
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	37	12013
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	495	185393
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	2147	11530
Unincorporated - Saugus	274	176774
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	79	22191
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	79	17363
Unincorporated - South El Monte	540	30084
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	1645	18592
Unincorporated - South Whittier	14199	23976
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	165	21127
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	3360	16026
Unincorporated - Sun Village	1489	24669
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	351	27083
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	257	15501
Unincorporated - Val Verde	688	20792
Unincorporated - Valencia	573	18652
Unincorporated - Valinda	6303	26969
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	2018	17344
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	5038	31209
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	110	7280
Unincorporated - West Carson	4510	20420
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	4	33333
Unincorporated - West LA	407	42752
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	2754	28002
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	341	25092
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	6967	25876
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	136	10462
Unincorporated - Westhills	107	12753
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	609	16535
Unincorporated - Whittier	613	16200
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	58	483333
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	11569	33137
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	1202	19944
- Under Investigation	52329

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