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:

January 19, 2022

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





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