As Residents Return to School and Work After Holidays, Public Health Encourages Testing to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission

As Residents Return to School and Work After Holidays, Public Health Encourages Testing to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission

With higher COVID-19 transmission levels in Los Angeles County – along with other respiratory viruses – and many residents returning to school and work after the holidays, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is encouraging residents to test if they have COVID-19 symptoms to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Free at-home COVID-19 tests remain readily available throughout Los Angeles County at libraries, from many community-based organizations, food banks and senior centers, through the federal government by mail and at retail pharmacies with a California health insurance plan. Most at-home tests can be safely used past the expiration date on the box. For more information on how to check home test expiration dates and how to get free COVID-19 tests, visit ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDtests.

People who test positive for COVID-19, especially those with underlying risk factors, should talk to a health care provider right away about COVID-19 medications. Taking an oral antiviral, such as Paxlovid, can prevent people from becoming very sick, help them feel better sooner and lower their risks of developing Long COVID. Treatment should begin within five days of testing positive or developing symptoms of COVID-19. Medications are widely available by prescription at retail pharmacies and Public Health locations throughout Los Angeles County. For a telehealth appointment or help getting a prescription for COVID-19 medication, residents are urged to contact the Public Health InfoLine at 1-833-540-0473. It’s open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

People with respiratory illness symptoms who test negative for COVID-19 should consider masking indoors around others to avoid spreading another respiratory infection, such as flu or RSV. If symptoms continue, re-testing 48 hours later for COVID is recommended. People who are at high risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses who have tested negative for COVID-19 should talk to their health care provider about getting tested and treated for influenza. Antiviral treatments for influenza are most effective when started early in the course of illness. As with all illness, people with trouble breathing, worsening or unusual symptoms or with chronic health conditions should speak with a health care provider.

Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), last week reached Medium Level. Based on the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order posted on December 27, 2023, when the COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level in Los Angeles County meets or exceeds the CDC’s Medium Level, all healthcare personnel, regardless of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status, in Licensed Healthcare Facilities that provide Inpatient Care are required to mask while in contact with patients or working in patient-care areas. In addition, all persons visiting a Licensed Healthcare Facility that provides Inpatient Care are required to mask when around patients and while in patient-care areas. Licensed Healthcare Facilities that provide Inpatient Care are defined as:

· General Acute Care Hospitals

· Skilled Nursing Facilities (including Subacute Facilities)

· Intermediate Care Facilities

· Congregate Living Health Facilities

· Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospitals

· Acute Psychiatric Hospitals

· Hospice Facilities

Masking in these facilities will remain in effect until the COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level in Los Angeles County is below the CDC’s Medium Level for at least 14 consecutive days. As of data posted by CDC last Friday, the hospital admission rate for Los Angeles County is 10.5 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people for data through Dec. 23.

Public Health is reporting an average of 542 cases per day, which is a slight decline from the 621 cases per day reported last week. However, there was a lower number of reportable tests conducted for the most recent week, likely influenced by the holidays. Case counts are also an undercount due to the large number of home test results that are not reported.

As of the most recent data available, wastewater concentrations are at 49% of last year’s winter peak, a notable increase from the 36-39% reported over the previous three weeks. Wastewater concentrations provide a more complete picture of COVID-19 transmission levels than reported cases alone.

In Los Angeles County, the average number of COVID-positive hospitalized patients per day increased to 783 from 690 the previous week.

One of the best ways to lower the risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 is by getting the updated vaccine that became available in September 2023. At least one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older. The new vaccine is formulated to provide protection against currently circulating COVID-19 strains and increase immunity from prior vaccination or infection that may have decreased over time. Find a vaccination site at myturn.ca.gov.

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.

Weekly COVID-19 Data Table
Metric	Date of Weekly Report
Metric	1/3/2024	12/27/2023	12/20/2023	12/13/2023
Daily average cases	542	621	495	430
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value³	49%	36%	39%	38%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	4.5%	4.8%	4.6%	4.0%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	783	690	604	525
Daily average deaths	3.4	4.9	3.6	2.1
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	4.1%	2.4%	2.1%	2.7%
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 all weeks except 1/3/24. Long Beach and Pasadena are not included in the daily average death count for 1/3/24 because data was not available from CDPH due to the 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 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 https://espanol.cdc.gov/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 01/01/2024
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,848,538
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	37,123
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	117,658
- 5 to 11	285,608
- 12 to 17	280,505
- 18 to 29	771,657
- 30 to 49	1,161,104
- 50 to 64	636,255
- 65 to 79	283,920
- over 80	104,205
- Under Investigation	2,633
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,885,213
- Male	1,666,592
- Other	1,943
- Under Investigation	89,797
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,933
- Asian	273,262
- Black	194,768
- Hispanic/Latino	1,545,453
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,177
- White	511,560
- Other	422,065
- Under Investigation	671,327
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	192,248
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	83
- Asian	4,631
- Black	3,295
- Hispanic/Latino	17,044
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	115
- White	9,451
- Other	493
- Under Investigation	113
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6568	31451
City of Alhambra	26417	30461
City of Arcadia	14245	24665
City of Artesia	6240	37154
City of Avalon	300	7754
City of Azusa	17938	35847
City of Baldwin Park	30398	39597
City of Bell	17296	47605
City of Bell Gardens	17452	40519
City of Bellflower	31589	40637
City of Beverly Hills	12013	34800
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33976	31700
City of Calabasas	6134	25219
City of Carson	36175	38547
City of Cerritos	13943	27849
City of Claremont	10723	29391
City of Commerce*	5970	45681
City of Compton	41303	41343
City of Covina	20884	42593
City of Cudahy	12395	50910
City of Culver City	12466	31271
City of Diamond Bar	14138	24581
City of Downey	47893	41915
City of Duarte	7725	35088
City of El Monte	43816	37364
City of El Segundo	4243	25277
City of Gardena	22760	37123
City of Glendale	62209	30126
City of Glendora	15645	29651
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5135	34989
City of Hawthorne	30594	34458
City of Hermosa Beach	4913	24977
City of Hidden Hills	397	21005
City of Huntington Park	26750	44970
City of Industry	1062	243021
City of Inglewood	40005	35221
City of Irwindale	909	62303
City of La Canada Flintridge	4760	23003
City of La Habra Heights	216	3960
City of La Mirada	14707	29652
City of La Puente	16320	40101
City of La Verne	9517	28595
City of Lakewood	27993	34834
City of Lancaster*	66146	40940
City of Lawndale	10917	32478
City of Lomita	6361	30686
City of Lynwood*	31996	44410
City of Malibu	2993	23092
City of Manhattan Beach	7737	21492
City of Maywood	13113	46750
City of Monrovia	12276	31639
City of Montebello	26093	40533
City of Monterey Park	18128	29116
City of Norwalk	44107	40983
City of Palmdale	68628	43171
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2388	17660
City of Paramount	23242	41487
City of Pico Rivera	28722	44680
City of Pomona	67265	43138
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8256	19314
City of Redondo Beach	16327	23767
City of Rolling Hills	315	16237
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1653	20375
City of Rosemead	15696	28358
City of San Dimas*	11423	33095
City of San Fernando	13072	53112
City of San Gabriel	12001	29304
City of San Marino	2535	19093
City of Santa Clarita	76591	34747
City of Santa Fe Springs	8051	43841
City of Santa Monica	27838	30113
City of Sierra Madre	2550	23205
City of Signal Hill	4229	35848
City of South El Monte	8602	41187
City of South Gate	48059	48962
City of South Pasadena	6565	25199
City of Temple City	11082	30399
City of Torrance	36044	24147
City of Vernon	362	173206
City of Walnut	7804	25560
City of West Covina	40707	37610
City of West Hollywood	11657	31547
City of Westlake Village	460	5502
City of Whittier	32045	36651
Los Angeles	1571355	38851
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3281	40002
Los Angeles - Alsace	4657	37421
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	1	2500
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	860	34373
Los Angeles - Arleta	17305	50349
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5225	35627
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10644	34198
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2559	30359
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3456	27593
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4350	33022
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41253	47481
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8766	28319
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2357	33099
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	26039	39883
Los Angeles - Carthay	4568	31804
Los Angeles - Central	17267	44283
Los Angeles - Century City	3933	30746
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16695	49443
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13452	36297
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2669	29103
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3056	38100
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5471	37594
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	5038	33248
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5541	40068
Los Angeles - Crestview	4104	36101
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8798	29389
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16563	60214
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14245	35982
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9824	33544
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4609	32330
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17333	41459
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1884	32983
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	#####