As LA County Enters Low Community Level, Residents Should Continue Safety Measures to Further Reduce Rate of Transmission - 2,705 New Positive Cases and 16 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With continued declines in hospitalizations and a lower case rate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has moved LA County into the Low Community Level, reflecting minimal stress on the hospital system in LA County associated with COVID-19. However, viral transmission, with a case rate just below 200, is still high, as it represents about 2500 new cases a day. Residents are therefore asked to continue following sensible safety measures including indoor masking and staying home and away from others if sick to help reduce the rate of transmission.

The 7-day average case count is 2,438, an 18% decline from one week ago when an average of 2,976 cases were reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals was 813, about a 10% decline from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was 900.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remain relatively stable at an average of 14 reported deaths daily.

While many sectors are experiencing declines in clusters of cases and outbreaks, as more K-12 schools opened during August, there have been increases in the number of clusters of cases and outbreaks at schools. There have been a total of 624 clusters reported at schools since August 7 that involved more than 3,500 individuals, of which 3,355 were students. The number of reported clusters more than tripled each week throughout August, with 38 clusters reported for the week ending August 13, 135 clusters reported for the week ending August 20, and 451 clusters for the week ending August 27.

Since schools reopened, 27 outbreaks have been documented in elementary schools. Eight outbreaks are associated with Youth Sports programs, and five outbreaks have been documented in middle schools. There has been only one outbreak associated with a high school.

To help further reduce the rate of transmission at schools and in the community, residents should continue to follow simple safety measures such as staying home when sick; testing after an exposure; universal masking indoors when around others and for 10 days after an exposure; and being up to date on vaccinations.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of sequenced specimens in the county, with the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron as the predominant subvariant by far. For the week ending August 13, 92% of all sequenced specimens were BA.5, a slight increase over the 90% from last week. The CDC estimates that, across the country, as of the week ending August 27, the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 89% of specimens.

Vaccinations remain the best defense against severe COVID-19 illness, and new Pfizer and Moderna boosters that target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron have been approved this week by both the Food and Drug Administration and CDC. Residents and workers in LA County can soon receive a new updated bivalent boosters scheduled to be available starting next week at more than 900 sites across the county. LA County expects to initially receive 170,000 of the new Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna updated boosters between September 6 and September 9 and will begin administering these free vaccines September 7 at 12 Public Health sites, 701 mobile vaccine clinics, and 245 community, pharmacy, and clinic sites.

To find a location for the new booster go to VaccinateLACounty.com. Click on “Find a Location” and then search by “Vaccine Type”.

“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. “As we all look forward to celebrating Labor Day and expressing our deep appreciation to the many hard-working people throughout our county, we face the twin challenges this holiday weekend of ongoing circulation of COVID, plus very high heat across most regions of LA County. With the extreme heat, it will make sense for many to move gatherings indoors. When gathering indoors, you can maximize ventilation by opening windows and doors, using air filters, and setting HVAC systems to maximize fresh air exchange. It is also advisable to wear a mask if gathering indoors with individuals whose COVID status is unknown. Given the high heat we are experiencing, we ask that everyone do their part to take care of those most vulnerable by checking on your friends, family, and neighbors. Older adults, babies, and those with underlying health conditions are especially vulnerable to heat stress. Please never leave children, pets, or elderly persons in parked cars, even for a few minutes. Be sure to drink a lot of water and seek medical care for yourself or anyone experiencing symptoms of heat-related illness. There will be cooling centers open throughout the county, and many are already open. Spending a few hours in a cool setting can be lifesaving when temperatures are high. As we have fun connecting with family and friends, these steps, along with other measures, can make our celebrations safer from COVID and the extreme heat.”

Today, Public Health reported 16 additional deaths and 2,705 new positive cases. Of the 16 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30-49, three 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. Information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach can be found at longbeach.gov.

Information on the one death reported by the City of Pasadena can be found at pasadena.net. Of the 16 newly reported deaths, 14 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 33,187.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,413,783 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 7.8%.

There are 788 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,477,349 individuals, with 24% 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
Recovery Metrics
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	3,413,783
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	3,229,026
-- Long Beach	149,290
-- Pasadena	35,467
Deaths	33,187
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	31,445
-- Long Beach	1,318
-- Pasadena	424
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	102,124
- 5 to 11	272,947
- 12 to 17	266,694
- 18 to 29	707,045
- 30 to 49	1,039,337
- 50 to 64	545,767
- 65 to 79	220,868
- over 80	71,981
- Under Investigation	2,263
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,656,383
- Male	1,485,699
- Other	1,503
- Under Investigation	85,441
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,070
- Asian	228,184
- Black	164,874
- Hispanic/Latino	1,401,925
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	16,420
- White	436,173
- Other	366,725
- Under Investigation	608,655
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	152,454
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	3,976
- Black	2,935
- Hispanic/Latino	15,917
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	112
- White	7,992
- Other	346
- Under Investigation	94
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	5901	28257
City of Alhambra	22228	25631
City of Arcadia	11423	19779
City of Artesia	5322	31688
City of Avalon	66	1706
City of Azusa	16213	32400
City of Baldwin Park	27065	35255
City of Bell	15790	43460
City of Bell Gardens	15927	36978
City of Bellflower	27813	35779
City of Beverly Hills	10503	30426
City of Bradbury	67	6268
City of Burbank	28980	27039
City of Calabasas	5207	21408
City of Carson	31575	33646
City of Cerritos	11586	23141
City of Claremont	8614	23610
City of Commerce*	5247	40148
City of Compton	37717	37753
City of Covina	17504	35699
City of Cudahy	11427	46934
City of Culver City	10151	25463
City of Diamond Bar	11886	20666
City of Downey	42563	37250
City of Duarte	6513	29583
City of El Monte	38897	33169
City of El Segundo	3687	21965
City of Gardena	19848	32373
City of Glendale	53831	26069
City of Glendora	14401	27293
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4766	32475
City of Hawthorne	26784	30167
City of Hermosa Beach	4259	21652
City of Hidden Hills	360	19048
City of Huntington Park	24976	41988
City of Industry	475	108696
City of Inglewood	34439	30321
City of Irwindale	621	42563
City of La Canada Flintridge	4014	19398
City of La Habra Heights	174	3190
City of La Mirada	12705	25615
City of La Puente	14940	36710
City of La Verne	8506	25557
City of Lakewood	23980	29840
City of Lancaster*	58646	36298
City of Lawndale	9721	28919
City of Lomita	5385	25978
City of Lynwood*	28486	39538
City of Malibu	2646	20415
City of Manhattan Beach	6595	18320
City of Maywood	11980	42711
City of Monrovia	10406	26820
City of Montebello	22920	35604
City of Monterey Park	15341	24639
City of Norwalk	38790	36043
City of Palmdale	61384	38614
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1978	14628
City of Paramount	21583	38525
City of Pico Rivera	25189	39184
City of Pomona	59930	38434
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	6623	15493
City of Redondo Beach	13760	20030
City of Rolling Hills	251	12938
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1330	16393
City of Rosemead	13817	24963
City of San Dimas*	10012	29007
City of San Fernando	11880	48269
City of San Gabriel	9890	24149
City of San Marino	2087	15719
City of Santa Clarita	66255	30058
City of Santa Fe Springs	7414	40372
City of Santa Monica	23598	25526
City of Sierra Madre	2072	18855
City of Signal Hill	3617	30660
City of South El Monte	7583	36308
City of South Gate	44070	44898
City of South Pasadena	5617	21560
City of Temple City	8725	23934
City of Torrance	30173	20214
City of Vernon	341	163158
City of Walnut	6612	21656
City of West Covina	35889	33158
City of West Hollywood	10156	27485
City of Westlake Village	352	4211
City of Whittier	28420	32505
Los Angeles	1397315	34548
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2959	36077
Los Angeles - Alsace	4153	33371
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	758	30296
Los Angeles - Arleta	15618	45441
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	4485	30581
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	9177	29484
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2178	25839
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3042	24287
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3790	28771
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	37764	43465
Los Angeles - Brentwood	7636	24668
Los Angeles - Brookside	135	23236
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2179	30600
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	23428	35884
Los Angeles - Carthay	3826	26638
Los Angeles - Central	16226	41614
Los Angeles - Century City	3302	25813
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	15115	44764
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	11603	31308
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2248	24512
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2497	31131
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4827	33168
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4404	29064
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4798	34695
Los Angeles - Crestview	3486	30665
Los Angeles - Del Rey	7657	25578
Los Angeles - Downtown*	14648	53252
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	12190	30791
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	8677	29627
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4148	29097
Los Angeles - El Sereno	15727	37617
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1668	29202
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3309	32534
Los Angeles - Encino	13663	30247
Los Angeles - Exposition	1174	35298
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	16606	36970
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1127	31306
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3439	39434
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	21610	45547
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	10004	31654
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3745	34792
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	19583	33653
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	9473	44050
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4280	25119
Los Angeles - Harbor City	8526	29329
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	14373	32966
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	569	23620
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5805	32187
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	16841	44394
Los Angeles - Highland Park	15755	32558
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4985	35941
Los Angeles - Hollywood	19642	28778
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	6913	23486
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	10744	37644
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2933	36331
Los Angeles - Koreatown	15087	29186
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1515	33231
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	14671	34760
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	5391	41049
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5159	33863
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	11874	36427
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2808	34991
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	8105	28596
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1323	42228
Los Angeles - Longwood	1589	36919
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	5175	23949
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2893	33892
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	726	23239
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	9720	22886
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	873	20023
Los Angeles - Melrose	23983	30868
Los Angeles - Mid-city	4246	28250
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	4458	24787
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	10922	45274
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	7680	31808
Los Angeles - North Hills	23277	37803
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	54512	36000
Los Angeles - Northridge	23158	33179
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	4506	21164
Los Angeles - Pacoima	36222	47054
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	842	21893
Los Angeles - Palms	10735	24466
Los Angeles - Panorama City	31014	41215
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2873	21156
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	15347	36678 #####