Public Health Offers Reliable Information about Safety, Effectiveness of Updated COVID-19 Vaccine

This fall, many people are making appointments to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, seeking additional protection against severe illness or hospitalization, and hoping to reduce their chances of spreading illness or needing to cancel activities. When faced with important medical choices, people typically have questions and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) encourages residents to look to reliable sources for accurate information about the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

Among the most common questions Public Health hears are whether an updated COVID-19 vaccine is necessary if people have been previously infected with COVID-19 or had earlier versions of the vaccine. Research studies have shown that prior immunity against COVID-19 wanes over time. People who have been recently infected may consider delaying their COVID-19 vaccine dose by three months from symptom onset or positive test because they may have some protection from the virus after infection. Otherwise, it is good to update protection sooner rather than later.

In addition, the COVID-19 strains circulating now are different than what was circulating in 2020, when the first vaccine was widely administered, and last September, when the bivalent vaccine was introduced. With new strains, immunity from past vaccinations or infection may not be as strong. The updated COVID-19 vaccine is formulated for strains that are found now, specifically Omicron XBB descendants, which account for 99 percent of sequenced specimens in Los Angeles County as of Sep. 16. For comparison, last winter, as of late Jan. 2023, only about 10 percent of specimens were descendants of XBB.

The best protection against severe illness from COVID-19 remains staying up to date on vaccines. At this time, being up to date means having received a dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine since it became available last month. In some circumstances, this may be a person’s fifth or sixth dose.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. More than 8.3 million people in Los Angeles County have received a COVID-19 vaccine dose since the start of the pandemic. Most people experience only mild side effects, like a sore arm or feeling a bit under the weather for a day or two, evidence that the immune system is building protection. Serious side effects have been extremely rare.

In fact, the chance of severe side effects is much lower than the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 itself. Over the past 30 days in Los Angeles County, people who were unvaccinated were three times more likely to be hospitalized and over four times more likely to die compared to those who were vaccinated. The benefits of being vaccinated — preventing severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID and death — greatly outweigh the very small risks of side effects.

It is recommended that everyone who is 6 months or older receives at least one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine. For children ages 4 years and younger, and for those who are immunocompromised, additional doses may be recommended. Providers can give additional information about timing and number of doses.

Myths about the COVID-19 vaccine continue to persist in the community, perpetuating vaccine hesitancy and preventing people from getting the most up-to-date protection.

There is no evidence of infertility from the vaccine among thousands of people who participated in clinical trials. In fact, many vaccine recipients have effectively conceived. Nor is there evidence of delayed puberty in children after receiving the COVID-19 or any other vaccine.

The mRNA vaccines cannot change DNA. The mRNA in the COVID-19 vaccine cannot enter the nucleus of the cell, where DNA lives. The mRNA helps activate an immune response to COVID-19, and then cells break down the mRNA without affecting other systems in the body.

For those who have questions about the vaccine, look for reliable sources. Oftentimes, the best sources may be your own health care provider. If there is information online that questions the vaccine safety or effectiveness, it is good practice to check that the information is verified by multiple credible sources and written by a qualified physician, a health professional or distributed by a reputable institute or peer-reviewed journal. Online searches can help you to find the original source of the information posted on social media sites and it is good to bookmark the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 page, which includes safety information, and Public Health’s vaccine page, including links to find sites offering vaccine.

In addition, Public Health continues to operate the Public Health Call Center, open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1-833-540-0473. Staff are available to answer questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine, and to direct people to resources if needed. This call line can also be used to find vaccine availability, schedule vaccine appointments and request a free homebound vaccine visit.

If someone is homebound or has difficulty leaving their home safely to get vaccinated against COVID-19, in-home vaccination can be requested. Self-referrals and referrals from organizations, agencies, providers, caregivers, family members, and loved ones are all welcome and others in the household can be vaccinated at the same time. Requests can also be made online at ph.lacounty.gov/vaxathome.

In Los Angeles County, based on data through Sept. 30, the CDC Hospital Admission Level is Low at 5.2 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, lower than 6.1 reported the week before.

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
Metric	10/11/2023	10/04/2023	9/27/2023	9/20/2023
Daily average cases	242	303	382	475
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value	27%	19%	30%	38%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	2.9%	3.3%	3.9%	3.8%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	420	467	544	588
Daily average deaths	4.7	5.0	3.9	4.0
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	3.5%	2.1%	3.4%	2.9%
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

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – 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

Cases through 12:00pm 10/09/2023
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,809,834
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	36,806
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	115,354
- 5 to 11	284,780
- 12 to 17	279,624
- 18 to 29	767,522
- 30 to 49	1,152,098
- 50 to 64	628,140
- 65 to 79	275,744
- over 80	98,975
- Under Investigation	2,604
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,863,619
- Male	1,649,847
- Other	1,889
- Under Investigation	89,486
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,843
- Asian	269,665
- Black	191,705
- Hispanic/Latino	1,534,041
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,017
- White	503,333
- Other	416,366
- Under Investigation	664,871
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	186,851
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	81
- Asian	4,586
- Black	3,278
- Hispanic/Latino	16,970
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	114
- White	9,330
- Other	459
- Under Investigation	99
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6475	31006
City of Alhambra	26035	30021
City of Arcadia	14033	24298
City of Artesia	6171	36743
City of Avalon	293	7573
City of Azusa	17784	35540
City of Baldwin Park	30138	39258
City of Bell	17199	47338
City of Bell Gardens	17378	40347
City of Bellflower	31341	40318
City of Beverly Hills	11825	34256
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33523	31277
City of Calabasas	6023	24763
City of Carson	35753	38098
City of Cerritos	13735	27433
City of Claremont	10570	28972
City of Commerce*	5938	45436
City of Compton	41004	41043
City of Covina	20663	42142
City of Cudahy	12329	50639
City of Culver City	12282	30809
City of Diamond Bar	13963	24277
City of Downey	47502	41573
City of Duarte	7628	34648
City of El Monte	43466	37065
City of El Segundo	4189	24955
City of Gardena	22423	36573
City of Glendale	61461	29764
City of Glendora	15438	29259
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5097	34730
City of Hawthorne	30274	34097
City of Hermosa Beach	4845	24631
City of Hidden Hills	394	20847
City of Huntington Park	26631	44770
City of Industry	1049	240046
City of Inglewood	39577	34844
City of Irwindale	902	61823
City of La Canada Flintridge	4672	22578
City of La Habra Heights	215	3941
City of La Mirada	14543	29321
City of La Puente	16194	39792
City of La Verne	9413	28283
City of Lakewood	27693	34460
City of Lancaster*	65334	40437
City of Lawndale	10806	32147
City of Lomita	6251	30156
City of Lynwood*	31801	44139
City of Malibu	2947	22737
City of Manhattan Beach	7627	21187
City of Maywood	12970	46241
City of Monrovia	12078	31129
City of Montebello	25861	40172
City of Monterey Park	17886	28727
City of Norwalk	43742	40644
City of Palmdale	67942	42739
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2341	17313
City of Paramount	23045	41135
City of Pico Rivera	28500	44335
City of Pomona	66658	42748
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8058	18850
City of Redondo Beach	16041	23350
City of Rolling Hills	305	15722
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1604	19771
City of Rosemead	15523	28045
City of San Dimas*	11300	32738
City of San Fernando	12958	52649
City of San Gabriel	11735	28654
City of San Marino	2491	18762
City of Santa Clarita	75232	34131
City of Santa Fe Springs	8001	43569
City of Santa Monica	27266	29494
City of Sierra Madre	2489	22650
City of Signal Hill	4190	35518
City of South El Monte	8551	40943
City of South Gate	47773	48671
City of South Pasadena	6476	24857
City of Temple City	10963	30073
City of Torrance	35420	23729
City of Vernon	361	172727
City of Walnut	7727	25308
City of West Covina	40286	37221
City of West Hollywood	11507	31141
City of Westlake Village	459	5490
City of Whittier	31796	36367
Los Angeles	1555705	38464
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3257	39710
Los Angeles - Alsace	4623	37147
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	0	0
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	854	34133
Los Angeles - Arleta	17144	49881
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5181	35327
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10507	33757
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2519	29885
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3414	27257
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4309	32711
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41004	47194
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8628	27873
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2338	32832
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	25813	39537
Los Angeles - Carthay	4522	31484
Los Angeles - Central	17196	44101
Los Angeles - Century City	3862	30191
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16563	49052
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13245	35738
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2620	28568
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3013	37564
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5427	37291
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4988	32918
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5476	39598
Los Angeles - Crestview	4065	35758
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8668	28955
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16448	59796
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14080	35565
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9746	33278
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4575	32092
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17190	41117
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1867	32686
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3630	35690
Los Angeles - Encino	15589	34510
Los Angeles - Exposition	1316	39567
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18507	41203
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1295	35972
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3862	44284
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23174	48844
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11198	35432
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	4275	39716
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	22054	37899
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	10250	47663
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4842	28417
Los Angeles - Harbor City	9630	33127
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	16038	36784
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	658	27314
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	6244	34622
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	18338	48341
Los Angeles - Highland Park	17519	36203
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5593	40324
Los Angeles - Hollywood	22105	32386
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	7838	26629
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	12219	42812
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	3210	39762
Los Angeles - Koreatown	16488	31896
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1626	35666
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	16614	39364
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	6242	47529
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5910	38792
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	13025	39958
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	3100	38629
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	8794	31027
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1533	48931
Los Angeles - Longwood	1833	42588
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	6550	30313
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	3332	39035
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	930	29770
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	11282	26564
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	992	22752
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