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) 288-8144  |  media@ph.lacounty.gov

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For Immediate Release:

September 14, 2023

Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Available Soon in Los Angeles County, Recommended for People Six Months and Older

Los Angeles County residents will soon have access to updated vaccines designed to target COVID-19 strains currently circulating. The updated vaccine is strongly recommended this fall for residents ages 6 months and older.

With nearly 22 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Los Angeles County over the past three years, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has seen first-hand how the vaccine provides residents with a safe, effective and easy way to protect against severe illness from the virus. Data also shows that vaccines can lessen the risk of getting long COVID and other post-COVID conditions.

Staying up to date on vaccines is especially important heading into fall and winter, as indicators of COVID-19 transmission, including more outbreaks in schools, work sites and skilled nursing facilities, have increased in Los Angeles County over the past few weeks.

Updated vaccines will restore waning protection against the COVID-19 virus and enhance protection against new variants of the virus, even if a person had earlier versions of the vaccine, had COVID-19 in the past or are in good health and don’t get sick often. Everyone over the age of 6 months is encouraged to get at least one dose of the updated vaccine. The updated vaccine targets the Omicron variant XBB.1.5; more than 95 percent of COVID-19 strains currently circulating in Los Angeles County are descendants of the XBB strain.

For children under 5 years old who have never been vaccinated against COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two Moderna doses or three Pfizer doses of the newly updated vaccine. People with weakened immune systems should work with their provider to determine the number of doses and vaccine schedule that is best for them.

Pregnant people can prepare to protect their newborns and infants under 6 months old, who are not yet eligible to receive their own COVID-19 vaccines, by getting vaccinated against the virus. Pregnant people pass along antibodies to their babies before birth so that they have protection against severe illness due to COVID-19 in their first few months of life.

Nationally, infants have the 2nd highest rate of hospitalization from COVID after individuals over the age of 75.

The COVID-19 vaccine can be given at the same time as the flu and other vaccines. People over 60 years old should speak to their health care providers about also getting the RSV vaccine, which protects against the respiratory syncytial virus. Older adults are at higher risk of getting very sick from any respiratory illness.

The updated COVID-19 vaccines will likely be widely available in Los Angeles County by the middle of next week, with some retail sites having doses as early as this weekend. Pharmacies and health care providers will receive orders directly from the manufacturers and provide information to their patients and customers about availability. Health insurance plans are expected to cover the full cost.

Any resident who is seeking vaccination will be able to do so regardless of insurance or immigration status.

Free vaccines will be available to uninsured and underinsured children and adults at many participating retail pharmacies, health care providers and health centers through a federal program called the CDC Bridge Access Program. Public Health is finalizing distribution plans for its public health clinics and mobile teams pending arrival of the vaccines. The department will focus on making sure the county’s most vulnerable populations, including elderly and disabled people, have easy access to the new vaccines.

For children who are uninsured or have Medi-CAL, they can receive the newly updated COVID vaccine for free through the Vaccine for Children program. A list of these providers can also be found at bit.ly/VaccineForChildrenSites

To find vaccine locations, visit ph.lacounty.gov/vaccines. Anyone who has questions, needs assistance with appointments, or are homebound and need to be vaccinated should contact the Public Health Call Center, which is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The number is 1-833-540-0473.

In Los Angeles County, while measures are relatively low compared to other points during the pandemic, there have been increased numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks. Over the past four weeks, the average daily number of COVID related hospitalizations has increased by over 40 percent, from 430 to 612. This week we are reporting an average of 4 deaths per day, three times higher than what was reported the week before.

Los Angeles County remains in the CDC Low Hospital Admission Level with 7.2 weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, reported on Sept. 11 for the seven-day period ending Sept. 3, a small change from 7.4 hospital admissions last week.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks:


Metric

Date of Weekly Report

9/13/2023

9/6/2023

8/30/2023

8/23/2023

Daily average cases

558

569

571

512

SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value

33%

29%

26%

28%

Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related

4.9%

5.0%

5.1%

4.4%

Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations

612

561

523

430

Daily average deaths

4.0

1.3

1.0

1.7

Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19

3.2%

3.0%

2.7%

0.9%

All daily averages are 7-day averages. Data for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED data = week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag.

Case data is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death data is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death data were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases do not include Long Beach and Pasadena; daily average deaths include Long Beach and Pasadena.

• 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/COVIDdata including:

• COVID-19 Locations & Demographics (data by demographic characteristics and geography, active outbreaks, and citations)

COVID-19 Response Plan

COVID-19 Vaccinations

Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

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

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htmlCDC Spanish ?HYPERLINK "https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html"https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html-ncov/index.html

• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Cases through 12:00pm 9/11/2023

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)

3,795,866

Deaths (includes LB and Pas)

36,674

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

- 0 to 4

114,665

- 5 to 11

284,544

- 12 to 17

279,270

- 18 to 29

765,666

- 30 to 49

1,148,441

- 50 to 64

625,087

- 65 to 79

273,104

- over 80

97,510

- Under Investigation

2,586

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

- Female

1,855,610

- Male

1,643,997

- Other

1,869

- Under Investigation

89,397

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

- American Indian/Alaska Native

6,825

- Asian

268,352

- Black

190,426

- Hispanic/Latino

1,529,675

- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

17,950

- White

500,645

- Other

414,285

- Under Investigation

662,715

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

- Hospitalized (Ever)

184,654

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

- American Indian/Alaska Native

81

- Asian

4,559

- Black

3,268

- Hispanic/Latino

16,946

- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

114

- White

9,291

- Other

436

- Under Investigation

93

CITY / COMMUNITY**

Cases

Case Rate

City of Agoura Hills

6438

30829

City of Alhambra

25938

29909

City of Arcadia

13974

24196

City of Artesia

6128

36487

City of Avalon

292

7547

City of Azusa

17722

35416

City of Baldwin Park

30031

39119

City of Bell

17163

47239

City of Bell Gardens

17342

40264

City of Bellflower

31220

40162

City of Beverly Hills

11749

34035

City of Bradbury

71

6642

City of Burbank

33351

31117

City of Calabasas

5976

24569

City of Carson

35571

37904

City of Cerritos

13654

27271

City of Claremont

10532

28867

City of Commerce*

5929

45367

City of Compton

40850

40889

City of Covina

20575

41962

City of Cudahy

12312

50569

City of Culver City

12219

30651

City of Diamond Bar

13899

24166

City of Downey

47383

41468

City of Duarte

7606

34548

City of El Monte

43301

36925

City of El Segundo

4169

24836

City of Gardena

22265

36315

City of Glendale

61187

29632

City of Glendora

15368

29126

City of Hawaiian Gardens

5070

34546

City of Hawthorne

30140

33946

City of Hermosa Beach

4820

24504

City of Hidden Hills

392

20741

City of Huntington Park

26580

44684

City of Industry

1028

235240

City of Inglewood

39388

34678

City of Irwindale

899

61618

City of La Canada Flintridge

4649

22467

City of La Habra Heights

215

3941

City of La Mirada

14479

29192

City of La Puente

16151

39686

City of La Verne

9374

28165

City of Lakewood

27553

34286

City of Lancaster*

65125

40308

City of Lawndale

10756

31999

City of Lomita

6212

29968

City of Lynwood*

31705

44006

City of Malibu

2930

22606

City of Manhattan Beach

7584

21067

City of Maywood

12946

46155

City of Monrovia

12029

31003

City of Montebello

25809

40092

City of Monterey Park

17799

28587

City of Norwalk

43592

40505

City of Palmdale

67696

42585

City of Palos Verdes Estates

2323

17179

City of Paramount

22987

41031

City of Pico Rivera

28427

44221

City of Pomona

66428

42601

City of Rancho Palos Verdes

7997

18708

City of Redondo Beach

15930

23189

City of Rolling Hills

303

15619

City of Rolling Hills Estates

1579

19463

City of Rosemead

15465

27940

City of San Dimas*

11248

32588

City of San Fernando

12912

52462

City of San Gabriel

11652

28451

City of San Marino

2468

18589

City of Santa Clarita

74847

33956

City of Santa Fe Springs

7981

43460

City of Santa Monica

27071

29283

City of Sierra Madre

2473

22504

City of Signal Hill

4162

35280

City of South El Monte

8511

40752

City of South Gate

47681

48577

City of South Pasadena

6441

24723

City of Temple City

10908

29922

City of Torrance

35191

23576

City of Vernon

360

172249

City of Walnut

7705

25236

City of West Covina

40134

37080

City of West Hollywood

11456

31003

City of Westlake Village

458

5478

City of Whittier

31718

36277

Los Angeles

1549971

38322

Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie

3248

39600

Los Angeles - Alsace

4605

37003

Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest

0

0

Los Angeles - Angelino Heights

852

34053

Los Angeles - Arleta

17095

49738

Los Angeles - Atwater Village

5162

35197

Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills

10436

33529

Los Angeles - Bel Air

2506

29731

Los Angeles - Beverly Crest

3399

27138

Los Angeles - Beverlywood

4281

32498

Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*

40914

47090

Los Angeles - Brentwood

8589

27747

Los Angeles - Brookside

158

27194

Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning

2327

32678

Los Angeles - Canoga Park

25718

39391

Los Angeles - Carthay

4484

31219

Los Angeles - Central

17166

44024

Los Angeles - Century City

3831

29948

Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove

16525

48940

Los Angeles - Chatsworth

13200

35617

Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills

2606

28416

Los Angeles - Chinatown

2993

37315

Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran

5403

37126

Los Angeles - Country Club Park

4963

32753

Los Angeles - Crenshaw District

5451

39417

Los Angeles - Crestview

4039

35530

Los Angeles - Del Rey

8624

28808

Los Angeles - Downtown*

16408

59650

Los Angeles - Eagle Rock

14037

35457

Los Angeles - East Hollywood

9703

33131

Los Angeles - Echo Park

4556

31958

Los Angeles - El Sereno

17144

41007

Los Angeles - Elysian Park

1865

32651

Los Angeles - Elysian Valley

3615

35542

Los Angeles - Encino

15527

34373

Los Angeles - Exposition

1308

39327

Los Angeles - Exposition Park

18451

41078

Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights

1288

35778

Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square

3849

44135

Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone

23112

48713

Los Angeles - Glassell Park

11155

35296

Los Angeles - Gramercy Place

4253

39511

Los Angeles - Granada Hills

21921

37671

Los Angeles - Green Meadows

10220

47524

Los Angeles - Hancock Park

4816

28265

Los Angeles - Harbor City

9589

32986

Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway

15975

36640

Los Angeles - Harbor Pines

658

27314

Los Angeles - Harvard Heights

6229

34538

Los Angeles - Harvard Park

18280

48188

Los Angeles - Highland Park

17470

36102

Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown

5575

40195

Los Angeles - Hollywood

22022

32265

Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills

7810

26534

Los Angeles - Hyde Park

12159

42602

Los Angeles - Jefferson Park

3205

39700

Los Angeles - Koreatown

16449

31821

Los Angeles - Lafayette Square

1620

35534

Los Angeles - Lake Balboa

16562

39241

Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace

6211

47293

Los Angeles - Leimert Park

5890

38661

Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights

12976

39807

Los Angeles - Little Armenia

3084

38430

Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh

8767

30932

Los Angeles - Little Tokyo

1528

48771

Los Angeles - Longwood

1823

42356

Los Angeles - Los Feliz

6516

30155

Los Angeles - Manchester Square

3320

38894

Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon

924

29577

Los Angeles - Mar Vista

11199

26369

Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula

981

22500

Los Angeles - Melrose

26661

34315

Los Angeles - Mid-city

4575

30439

Los Angeles - Miracle Mile

5020

27912

Los Angeles - Mission Hills



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