For Immediate Release:

July 12, 2022

With continued increases in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths over the past two weeks, wearing high-quality respirator masks and getting tested are critical steps to slowing the spread of COVID-19, as vaccination, boosters, and therapeutics remain key strategies for reducing serious illness and death.

While LA County remains at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated COVID-19 Community Level of Medium, the county is very likely to move into High later this week as the rate of daily new admissions continues to increase. Using LA County specific data, as of yesterday, the county was at 8.8 new admissions per 100,000 people. Once the county reaches 10 new admissions per 100,000 residents, the county will enter the High Community Level. Should the county remain in the High Community Level designation for two consecutive weeks, universal indoor masking, in alignment with the CDC, would be implemented across LA County.

Fueling the high rates of transmission is the increased circulation of new highly transmissible Omicron sub-variants. The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of the sequenced specimens, with a steady increase in the proportions of the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. To date, Public Health has detected a total of 677 positive, sequenced specimens of these two subvariants – 285 of BA.4 and 392 of BA.5. In the week ending June 18, BA.4 and BA.5 accounted for 40% of all specimens sequenced, which is over 2.5 times higher than just two weeks prior. The CDC estimates that, across the country, as of the week ending July 2 - the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron combined accounted for just over 70% of specimens, a considerable increase from the 39% just two weeks ago.

In both the national data and LA County data, BA.4 and BA.5 both continue to outcompete the BA.2 subvariant and its sublineages, with the BA.5 subvariant increasing at a faster rate than the BA.4 subvariant. With the growing presence of BA.4 and BA.5 in LA County, the number of daily new cases continues to rise. Over the last seven days, the average number of daily new cases reported was 5,706, a 15% increase from two weeks ago when the average number of daily new cases reported was 4,960.

After weeks of high case numbers fueled by highly infectious strains of COVID, the number of people severely ill and needing to be hospitalized is increasing rapidly. Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in LA County hospitals was 1,035, a 40% increase from two weeks ago when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 741.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks are also increasing, with an average of 14 deaths reported per day this past week, compared to an average of eight deaths two weeks ago.

As COVID infections remain devastating for thousands of individuals, it is important to note that COVID is still a leading cause of death in LA County. Since January 2022, over 4,300 county residents have died from COVID; this is more than the average number of all annual deaths from influenza, colds, motor vehicle fatalities, and overdoses together. On average, there is only one death each year from the common cold, and less than 1,500 from influenza.

Given the evidence that COVID is more deadly than both colds and influenza, appropriate strategies are needed to reduce high transmission, since only those infected can suffer the most severe of outcomes from the virus.

Studies continue to show that widespread, universal masking with well-fitting, high-quality masks, remains one of the simplest, most effective measures to reduce transmission of COVID.

One study showed that, in 2020, counties that had a mask mandate had case rates that were 35% lower than counties that did not have one. In fall of 2021, school districts in Arkansas that had a mask requirement had case rates 23% lower than school districts that did not have such a requirement.

Studies show that respirators continue to provide especially good protection. A 2021 study in California found that people who regularly used respirators like N95s or KN95s had 83% lower odds of testing positive than people who never wore masks.

Well-fitting respirators are particularly important for those at elevated risk. Respirators such as a N95, KN95, and KF94 are designed to filter out very small particles, with N95 and KN95 respirators filtering at least 95% of airborne particles and KF94s filtering at least 94%. Respirators that fit well and provide a tight seal on the face provide more protection than a cloth mask or a medical mask.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Public Health recognizes that when we return to universal indoor masking to help reduce high spread, for many this will feel like a step backwards. It may be more useful to recognize that we have a very rich toolkit that we can use to cope with the uncertainty of the trajectory of the pandemic. All of the tools we have can help us get through different challenges. When transmission is very high, universal indoor masking makes a lot of sense and helps us reduce risk. When transmission is lower, it is appropriate to return to masking recommendations. Thank you to the millions of LA County residents who continue to take care of each other. Your actions make a difference and help protect our entire community from the worst impacts of the pandemic.”

Today, Public Health reported 14 additional deaths and 5,170 new positive cases. Of the 14 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30-49, four people were between the ages of 50-64, four people were between the ages of 65-79, and five people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 14 newly reported deaths, 12 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 32,464.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,183,359 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 16.3%.

There are 1,153 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,238,563 individuals, with 23% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

• COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)
• Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths
• Contact Tracing Metrics
• Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics
• Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance
• Outbreaks:
• Residential Congregate Settings
• Non-Residential Settings
• Homeless Service Settings

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

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
  http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
• California Department of Public Health:
• https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

For more information:

	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	3,183,359
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	3,011,695
-- Long Beach	138,773
-- Pasadena	32,891
Deaths	32,464
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	30,758
-- Long Beach	1,287
-- Pasadena	419
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	93404
- 5 to 11	262000
- 12 to 17	256722
- 18 to 29	666052
- 30 to 49	966417
- 50 to 64	502073
- 65 to 79	198791
- over 80	64059
- Under Investigation	2177
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1540103
- Male	1389142
- Other	1377
- Under Investigation	81073
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	5593
- Asian	206166
- Black	152453
- Hispanic/Latino	1325108
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	15371
- White	406797
- Other	337643
- Under Investigation	562564
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)***	143,091
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	72
- Asian	3854
- Black	2866
- Hispanic/Latino	15721
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	111
- White	7740
- Other	309
- Under Investigation	85
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	5504	26356
City of Alhambra	20102	23179
City of Arcadia	10125	17531
City of Artesia	4769	28395
City of Avalon	65	1680
City of Azusa	15018	30012
City of Baldwin Park	25078	32667
City of Bell	14903	41019
City of Bell Gardens	15020	34873
City of Bellflower	25757	33134
City of Beverly Hills	9866	28581
City of Bradbury	67	6268
City of Burbank	26684	24896
City of Calabasas	4825	19837
City of Carson	29169	31082
City of Cerritos	10398	20768
City of Claremont	8064	22103
City of Commerce*	4893	37440
City of Compton	35302	35336
City of Covina	16204	33048
City of Cudahy	10728	44063
City of Culver City	9253	23211
City of Diamond Bar	10839	18846
City of Downey	39521	34588
City of Duarte	5917	26876
City of El Monte	35920	30630
City of El Segundo	3451	20559
City of Gardena	18392	29998
City of Glendale	50230	24325
City of Glendora	13219	25053
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4473	30478
City of Hawthorne	25023	28183
City of Hermosa Beach	3978	20224
City of Hidden Hills	332	17566
City of Huntington Park	23479	39471
City of Industry	447	102288
City of Inglewood	32308	28445
City of Irwindale	584	40027
City of La Canada Flintridge	3693	17847
City of La Habra Heights	170	3116
City of La Mirada	11768	23726
City of La Puente	13836	33998
City of La Verne	7927	23818
City of Lakewood	21939	27300
City of Lancaster*	54849	33948
City of Lawndale	9039	26891
City of Lomita	4997	24106
City of Lynwood*	26613	36938
City of Malibu	2508	19350
City of Manhattan Beach	6202	17228
City of Maywood	11220	40001
City of Monrovia	9532	24567
City of Montebello	21171	32887
City of Monterey Park	13772	22119
City of Norwalk	36111	33554
City of Palmdale	57177	35968
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1825	13497
City of Paramount	20216	36085
City of Pico Rivera	23107	35945
City of Pomona	55947	35879
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	6076	14214
City of Redondo Beach	12613	18360
City of Rolling Hills	232	11959
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1202	14816
City of Rosemead	12537	22650
City of San Dimas*	9198	26649
City of San Fernando	11252	45718
City of San Gabriel	8927	21798
City of San Marino	1894	14265
City of Santa Clarita	61562	27929
City of Santa Fe Springs	6927	37721
City of Santa Monica	21680	23452
City of Sierra Madre	1860	16926
City of Signal Hill	3298	27956
City of South El Monte	7084	33919
City of South Gate	41343	42120
City of South Pasadena	5110	19614
City of Temple City	7764	21297
City of Torrance	27509	18429
City of Vernon	328	156938
City of Walnut	5894	19304
City of West Covina	33067	30551
City of West Hollywood	9592	25959
City of Westlake Village	335	4007
City of Whittier	26393	30187
Los Angeles	1312646	32454
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2816	34333
Los Angeles - Alsace	3945	31699
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	710	28377
Los Angeles - Arleta	14761	42947
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	4117	28072
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	8531	27409
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1925	22838
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2896	23122
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3586	27222
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	35576	40947
Los Angeles - Brentwood	7160	23130
Los Angeles - Brookside	123	21170
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2066	29013
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	22043	33762
Los Angeles - Carthay	3575	24890
Los Angeles - Central	15570	39931
Los Angeles - Century City	3038	23749
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	14270	42261
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	10703	28879
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2085	22735
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2305	28737
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4508	30976
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4105	27090
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4505	32576
Los Angeles - Crestview	3270	28765
Los Angeles - Del Rey	7119	23781
Los Angeles - Downtown*	13583	49380
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	11253	28425
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	8156	27849
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3904	27385
Los Angeles - El Sereno	14700	35161
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1561	27328
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3098	30459
Los Angeles - Encino	12589	27869
Los Angeles - Exposition	1100	33073
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	15708	34971
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1041	28917
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3263	37415
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	20540	43292
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	9240	29237
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3504	32553
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	18234	31335
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	9054	42102
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4001	23481
Los Angeles - Harbor City	7932	27286
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	13465	30883
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	522	21669
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5528	30652
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	15988	42146
Los Angeles - Highland Park	14705	30388
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4712	33973
Los Angeles - Hollywood	18454	27037
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	6423	21822
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	10107	35412
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2771	34324
Los Angeles - Koreatown	14273	27611
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1411	30950
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	13748	32574
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	5050	38453
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4845	31802
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	11128	34138
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2631	32785
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	7598	26807
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1226	39132
Los Angeles - Longwood	1479	34363
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	4813	22274
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2678	31373
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	672	21511
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	9009	21212
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	815	18693
Los Angeles - Melrose	22665	29171
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3968	26401
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	4142	23030
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	10297	42684
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	7167	29683
Los Angeles - North Hills	21868	35514
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	51365	33922
Los Angeles - Northridge	21688	31073
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	4285	20126
Los Angeles - Pacoima	34288	44542
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	802	20853
Los Angeles - Palms	9817	22374
Los Angeles - Panorama City	29236	38852
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2675	19698
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	14652	35017
Los Angeles - Playa D #####