For Immediate Release:

November 30, 2023

Heading into December, some residents may be questioning whether they missed the window of opportunity to get effective protection against this winter’s respiratory viruses before holiday festivities begin. The best time to get vaccinated is at least two weeks before gathering, but there is still a benefit for getting vaccines at any time.

Spread of respiratory viruses tends to increase this time of year, when people are gathering, traveling and spending more time indoors. Local data shows that circulation of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is beginning to increase in Los Angeles County and getting vaccinated now can still provide protection against severe illness throughout this winter’s respiratory virus season.

Levels of flu and RSV are measured by looking at the percentage of lab tests that are positive at sentinel surveillance laboratories. This week for flu, 6.8 percent of specimens were positive, compared to 3 percent two weeks prior. For RSV, 13 percent of specimens tested positive compared to 9 percent two weeks earlier.

Since Nov. 1, in Los Angeles County, the reported daily average of COVID-19 cases has increased from 198 to 249. The number of reported COVID-19 cases helps to illustrate larger COVID-19 trends; however, the total is an undercount due to the large number of home test results that are not reported, and the data also does not catch incidences when people are infected but do not test. If all three viruses continue to increase in Los Angeles County, there is potential for a “tripledemic” that could strain local health care resources.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) monitors wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, for a more comprehensive measure of COVID-19 in the community. On Nov. 1, wastewater concentrations were at 11 percent of the peak concentration observed last winter. For the most recent reported week, the concentration is 24 percent of the 2022-23 winter peak, more than doubling over the past four weeks. Current levels are not a cause for increased concern for rapid spread, yet the trend indicates that people should be thinking about increased protection for this winter.

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is designed to target COVID strains circulating now, and research shows that it is effective at reducing the chance of severe illness and long COVID. The vaccine is also expected to provide similar protection against the emerging strain BA.2.86, which the World Health Organization (WHO) designated as a variant of interest earlier this week.

As of the most recently completed variant sequencing in Los Angeles County, for specimens collected during the two-week period ending Oct. 28, BA.2.86 accounted for 1 percent of specimens, making it the first time it has met the 1 percent threshold locally since it was identified by the WHO as a new strain in late July. Nowcast models from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predict that as of Nov. 25, BA.2.86 accounts for 5 percent of COVID-19 circulating in Region 9, which includes California. EG.5, a descendant of Omicron XBB, accounts for the largest proportion of cases in Los Angeles County at 26 percent followed by HV.1, also a descendant of Omicron XBB, accounting for 23 percent of specimens.

Updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months and older, regardless of prior vaccination or infection status. This year’s vaccines target the strains of COVID-19 and flu that are circulating now. Besides providing protection from severe illness for yourself and others, vaccination also can help minimize disruptions and cancellations due to illness this holiday season. There should be no out-of-pocket costs for vaccines regardless of insurance or immigration status. More information, including links to schedule, how to find pop-up vaccination events and answers to questions about vaccines, can be found at ph.lacounty.gov/vaccines.

This year, increased protection against RSV is also available for people over 60 and very young children. The CDC estimates that each year RSV causes between 58,000–80,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old and 6,000–10,000 deaths among adults 65 years and older.

People ages 60 and older should speak with a provider to see if the new RSV vaccine is a good option for them. All infants under the age of 6 months and some older children with underlying health conditions should get nirsevimab (Beyfortus) to protect against RSV infection this season. If infants can't get the RSV immunization from their provider and they have Medi-Cal, they can visit a Public Health Center for the injection. Additionally, people who are 32 through 36 weeks pregnant during September through January should get one dose of maternal RSV vaccine to protect their babies.

Los Angeles County residents who have questions about respiratory symptoms, how to find a Public Health Center, where to get vaccination or how to get tested, can access the Public Health Call Center at 1-833-540-0473, open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Public Health staff can answer questions related to COVID-19, flu or RSV and can help schedule vaccination appointments, including in-home vaccinations for people who are homebound.

In Los Angeles County, based on data through Nov. 18, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospital Admission Level is Low at 4.3 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people.

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
	11/29/2023	11/22/2023	11/15/2023	11/8/2023
Daily average cases	249	275	250	211
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value	24%	13%	12%	15%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	3.3%	3.6%	3.0%	2.8%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	396	357	304	288
Daily average deaths	1.6	2.7	3.4	3.6
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	2.0%	1.1%	0.9%	1.9%
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 for 11/22, 11/15, and 11/8. Long Beach and Pasadena are not included in the daily average death count for 11/29 because data was not available from CDPH due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

• 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

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Cases through 12:00pm 11/27/2023
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,825,076
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	36,987
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	116,197
- 5 to 11	285,055
- 12 to 17	279,941
- 18 to 29	769,158
- 30 to 49	1,155,372
- 50 to 64	631,244
- 65 to 79	278,923
- over 80	100,902
- Under Investigation	3,291
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,871,779
- Male	1,656,137
- Other	1,901
- Under Investigation	90,266
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,878
- Asian	271,191
- Black	192,918
- Hispanic/Latino	1,538,298
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,089
- White	506,555
- Other	418,316
- Under Investigation	667,838
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	189,324
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	82
- Asian	4,613
- Black	3,293
- Hispanic/Latino	17,015
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	114
- White	9,388
- Other	475
- Under Investigation	107
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6499	31121
City of Alhambra	26208	30220
City of Arcadia	14114	24438
City of Artesia	6200	36916
City of Avalon	298	7702
City of Azusa	17830	35631
City of Baldwin Park	30255	39410
City of Bell	17228	47418
City of Bell Gardens	17399	40396
City of Bellflower	31432	40435
City of Beverly Hills	11889	34441
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33685	31428
City of Calabasas	6062	24923
City of Carson	35907	38262
City of Cerritos	13804	27571
City of Claremont	10647	29183
City of Commerce*	5954	45558
City of Compton	41104	41143
City of Covina	20752	42323
City of Cudahy	12351	50729
City of Culver City	12359	31002
City of Diamond Bar	14028	24390
City of Downey	47618	41674
City of Duarte	7677	34870
City of El Monte	43585	37167
City of El Segundo	4203	25039
City of Gardena	22555	36788
City of Glendale	61719	29889
City of Glendora	15526	29425
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5112	34832
City of Hawthorne	30385	34222
City of Hermosa Beach	4873	24774
City of Hidden Hills	394	20847
City of Huntington Park	26660	44819
City of Industry	1056	241648
City of Inglewood	39738	34986
City of Irwindale	903	61892
City of La Canada Flintridge	4706	22742
City of La Habra Heights	215	3941
City of La Mirada	14612	29460
City of La Puente	16252	39934
City of La Verne	9454	28406
City of Lakewood	27788	34579
City of Lancaster*	65661	40639
City of Lawndale	10850	32278
City of Lomita	6293	30358
City of Lynwood*	31878	44246
City of Malibu	2963	22861
City of Manhattan Beach	7673	21314
City of Maywood	13012	46390
City of Monrovia	12153	31322
City of Montebello	25956	40320
City of Monterey Park	17988	28891
City of Norwalk	43879	40771
City of Palmdale	68207	42906
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2355	17416
City of Paramount	23089	41213
City of Pico Rivera	28598	44487
City of Pomona	66850	42872
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8131	19021
City of Redondo Beach	16160	23524
City of Rolling Hills	306	15773
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1621	19980
City of Rosemead	15587	28161
City of San Dimas*	11339	32851
City of San Fernando	13007	52848
City of San Gabriel	11917	29099
City of San Marino	2511	18912
City of Santa Clarita	75713	34349
City of Santa Fe Springs	8018	43662
City of Santa Monica	27461	29705
City of Sierra Madre	2513	22868
City of Signal Hill	4197	35577
City of South El Monte	8572	41044
City of South Gate	47853	48752
City of South Pasadena	6513	24999
City of Temple City	11007	30193
City of Torrance	35681	23904
City of Vernon	361	172727
City of Walnut	7758	25409
City of West Covina	40443	37366
City of West Hollywood	11573	31320
City of Westlake Village	459	5490
City of Whittier	31887	36471
Los Angeles	1561686	38612
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3266	39820
Los Angeles - Alsace	4635	37244
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	0	0
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	856	34213
Los Angeles - Arleta	17210	50073
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5197	35436
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10562	33934
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2534	30063
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3427	27361
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4326	32840
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41086	47288
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8677	28031
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2348	32973
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	25916	39694
Los Angeles - Carthay	4541	31616
Los Angeles - Central	17219	44160
Los Angeles - Century City	3892	30425
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16624	49233
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13323	35949
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2632	28699
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3028	37751
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5437	37360
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	5008	33050
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5507	39822
Los Angeles - Crestview	4074	35837
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8723	29139
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16501	59988
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14137	35709
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9772	33366
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4584	32155
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17249	41258
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1874	32808
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3637	35759
Los Angeles - Encino	15670	34690
Los Angeles - Exposition	1319	39657
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18536	41267
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1297	36028
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3876	44444
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23206	48911
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11235	35549
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	4304	39985
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	22170	38099
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	10273	47770
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4850	28464
Los Angeles - Harbor City	9684	33313
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	16097	36920
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	661	27439
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	6269	34760
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	18378	48446
Los Angeles - Highland Park	17598	36366
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5604	40404
Los Angeles - Hollywood	22196	32520
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	7868	26731
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	12274	43005
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	3222	39911
Los Angeles - Koreatown	16531	31979
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1631	35775
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	16673	39504
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	6301	47978
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5930	38924
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	13056	40053