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Press Release: Schools Reopen with Significant Safety; Public Health Advocates Increasing Vaccination Rates to Avoid Future Surges

County of Los Angeles, California sent this bulletin at 09/28/2021 04:35 PM PDT

Media Contact: media@ph.lacounty.gov - (213) 240-8144

For Immediate Release:
September 28, 2021

Schools Reopen with Significant Safety; Public Health Advocates Increasing Vaccination Rates to Avoid Future Surges

29 New Deaths and 1,147 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

COVID-19 school cases among students and staff are declining. In August, student cases increased from about 1,300 to a peak of nearly 2,800 cases the week ending August 22. The number of student close contacts – students identified as a close contact with a confirmed case – increased correspondingly to a peak of nearly 11,000 by the end of August. Since then, both student cases and contacts have decreased substantially; last week, the County saw about 530 student cases and nearly 2,800 student close contacts. Meanwhile, staff numbers have also decreased weekly from their high point of 452 staff cases and 498 staff close contacts in mid-August: last week, there were only 77 staff cases and 19 staff close contacts.

These downward trends are the consequence of the hard work of school administrators, teachers, and staff to implement vaccinations, masking, student cohorting, seating charts, and other preventive strategies, adding new layers of quality improvement to their workdays at everyone’s great effort. These improvements would not have been possible without the support of the parents, students and broader school communities who helped schools implement these safety measures.

Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 29 new deaths and 1,147 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 29 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, six people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. Two deaths were reported by the City of Pasadena and one death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

To date, Public Health identified 1,456,275 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,047 deaths. As of September 20, the County is tragically seeing about 15 deaths a day, a 38% decline from the month earlier.

There are 908 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 31% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 126 daily hospitalizations over the prior week.

As of September 11, unvaccinated adults 50 and over were more than 16 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated adults over 50. Hospitalizations in younger unvaccinated adults between 18 to 49 years old were 29 times higher than hospitalization rates for vaccinated residents 18 to 49 years old.

Testing results are available for nearly 8,600,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.1%, a decrease from last week’s same-day rate of 1.4%.

Public Health is focused on increasing vaccination rates quickly to avoid future surges of cases. It is still most important to increase the numbers of first dose recipients; the only way to get to community immunity is to get more people vaccinated who have not yet received their first dose.

"We grieve alongside everyone who has suffered the loss of friends and families during this extraordinarily difficult time. Our prayers and hearts are with you,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I stress the importance of getting ahead of future surges. It is not inevitable that we continue to experience these cycles of scary increases in cases. The entire premise of community immunity is to get enough people vaccinated to leave little room for virus transmission. To accomplish this, we each need to think about our own role differently. We are living during a raging, worldwide, deadly pandemic that can be most quickly ended with very high rates of vaccination coverage. These times ask each of us to step up to protect the health and the lives of our co-workers, neighbors, and those most vulnerable. My hope is that those who are being asked to get vaccinated now take to heart this opportunity to get us to the end of the pandemic.”

As of September 23, 92% of L.A. County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78% of residents 16 and over and 77% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-nine percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Sixty-seven percent of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17 received at least one dose and 58% are fully vaccinated. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 66% have received at least one dose, and 59% are fully vaccinated.

Last Friday, September 24, the County began administering booster doses as well as the additional doses administered to immunocompromised people. Although the numbers are not yet complete, Public Health received reports that nearly 14,500 boosters or additional doses were administered between September 24 and September 26. Countywide, nearly 92,000 additional/booster doses have been administered by L.A. County providers.

L.A. County continues to offer vaccines at more than 1,300 sites countywide and through the deployment of more than 400 mobile vaccination teams each week to make it as easy as possible for eligible L.A. County residents to get vaccinated. Over 700 fixed sites and almost all mobile team sites offer Pfizer vaccines, including first, second and third doses.

Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Boosters are available for eligible individuals at all sites offering the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Los Angeles County residents eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer include the following groups of people who received the second of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series at least 6 months ago and are either:

People aged 65 years or older
Residents of long-term care facilities
People aged 18 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions
People aged 18 to 64 years with high institutional or occupational risk, including healthcare workers, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers, and workers and residents in homeless shelters or prisons, among others

While you don’t need an appointment at many places to get a first, second or third dose, it is very easy to make an appointment. You can go to MyTurn or to www.VaccinateLACounty.com to make an appointment.

Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a vaccination site near you, make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more. If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment, connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound.

COVID-19 Sector Protocols, Best Practices, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Please see additional information below:

	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	1456275
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	1379549
-- Long Beach	63547
-- Pasadena	13179
Deaths	26047
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	24671
-- Long Beach	1015
-- Pasadena	361
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	36069
- 5 to 11	75649
- 12 to 17	86680
- 18 to 29	328430
- 30 to 49	458547
- 50 to 64	255168
- 65 to 79	101699
- over 80	36487
- Under Investigation	820
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	695837
- Male	652725
- Other	736
- Under Investigation	30251
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	2331
- Asian	65761
- Black	65682
- Hispanic/Latino	713430
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	5065
- White	167815
- Other	116995
- Under Investigation	242470
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	102088
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	53
- Asian	3261
- Black	2136
- Hispanic/Latino	13116
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	84
- White	5757
- Other	213
- Under Investigation	51
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	1393	6670
City of Alhambra	8044	9275
City of Arcadia	3308	5728
City of Artesia	2419	14403
City of Avalon	31	801
City of Azusa	7297	14582
City of Baldwin Park	14499	18887
City of Bell	7472	20566
City of Bell Gardens	9007	20912
City of Bellflower	12775	16434
City of Beverly Hills	3561	10316
City of Bradbury	42	3929
City of Burbank	10966	10231
City of Calabasas	1729	7108
City of Carson	11843	12620
City of Cerritos	3672	7334
City of Claremont	2764	7576
City of Commerce*	2683	20529
City of Compton	19419	19438
City of Covina	7557	15412
City of Cudahy	5336	21916
City of Culver City	2864	7184
City of Diamond Bar	3929	6831
City of Downey	20162	17645
City of Duarte	2723	12368
City of El Monte	18878	16098
City of El Segundo	1044	6219
City of Gardena	7676	12520
City of Glendale	24311	11773
City of Glendora	5828	11045
City of Hawaiian Gardens	2548	17362
City of Hawthorne	12492	14070
City of Hermosa Beach	1514	7697
City of Hidden Hills	133	7037
City of Huntington Park	12254	20600
City of Industry	189	43249
City of Inglewood	16575	14593
City of Irwindale	297	20356
City of La Canada Flintridge	1035	5002
City of La Habra Heights	127	2328
City of La Mirada	5253	10591
City of La Puente	7435	18269
City of La Verne	3481	10459
City of Lakewood	9184	11428
City of Lancaster*	27569	17063
City of Lawndale	4222	12560
City of Lomita	1901	9171
City of Lynwood*	14750	20473
City of Malibu	647	4992
City of Manhattan Beach	2004	5567
City of Maywood	5715	20375
City of Monrovia	3924	10113
City of Montebello	11388	17690
City of Monterey Park	5514	8856
City of Norwalk	18310	17013
City of Palmdale	29046	18272
City of Palos Verdes Estates	652	4822
City of Paramount	11260	20099
City of Pico Rivera	12410	19305
City of Pomona	28678	18391
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	2069	4840
City of Redondo Beach	4009	5836
City of Rolling Hills	79	4072
City of Rolling Hills Estates	422	5202
City of Rosemead	5508	9951
City of San Dimas*	3907	11319
City of San Fernando	5939	24131
City of San Gabriel	3617	8832
City of San Marino	462	3480
City of Santa Clarita	26254	11911
City of Santa Fe Springs	3315	18052
City of Santa Monica	6501	7032
City of Sierra Madre	604	5496
City of Signal Hill	1424	12071
City of South El Monte	3793	18161
City of South Gate	20925	21318
City of South Pasadena	1673	6422
City of Temple City	2712	7439
City of Torrance	9463	6340
City of Vernon	135	64593
City of Walnut	2113	6921
City of West Covina	14973	13834
City of West Hollywood	3543	9588
City of Westlake Village	150	1794
City of Whittier	12932	14791
Los Angeles	594411	14696
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	1352	16484
Los Angeles - Alsace	1825	14665
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	5	12500
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	338	13509
Los Angeles - Arleta	7800	22694
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	1697	11571
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	3528	11335
Los Angeles - Bel Air	547	6490
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	872	6962
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	1257	9542
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	19126	22013
Los Angeles - Brentwood	2085	6736
Los Angeles - Brookside	46	7917
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	852	11965
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	10819	16571
Los Angeles - Carthay	1275	8877
Los Angeles - Central	8320	21338
Los Angeles - Century City	849	6637
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	7139	21143
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	4504	12153
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	646	7044
Los Angeles - Chinatown	919	11457
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	1924	13221
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	1818	11998
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	1827	13211
Los Angeles - Crestview	1275	11216
Los Angeles - Del Rey	2630	8785
Los Angeles - Downtown*	5267	19148
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	4310	10887
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	3722	12709
Los Angeles - Echo Park	1652	11588
Los Angeles - El Sereno	7016	16781
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	639	11187
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	1472	14473
Los Angeles - Encino	4471	9898
Los Angeles - Exposition	437	13139
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	7159	15938
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	365	10139
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	1593	18266
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	10375	21867
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	3988	12619
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	1698	15775
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	7991	13732
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	4475	20809
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	1381	8105
Los Angeles - Harbor City	3170	10905
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	5835	13383
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	218	9049
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	2849	15797
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	8209	21640
Los Angeles - Highland Park	6592	13622
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	2322	16741
Los Angeles - Hollywood	7546	11056
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	2276	7733
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	4589	16079
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	1339	16586
Los Angeles - Koreatown	6276	12141
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	627	13753
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	6420	15211
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	2631	20034
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	2035	13357
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	5745	17624
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	1311	16336
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	3206	11311
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	481	15353
Los Angeles - Longwood	670	15567
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	1472	6812
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	1242	14550
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	200	6402
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	2827	6656
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	229	5252
Los Angeles - Melrose	9894	12734
Los Angeles - Mid-city	1507	10027
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	1407	7823
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	4986	20668
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	3240	13419
Los Angeles - North Hills	10659	17311
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	24649	16278
Los Angeles - Northridge	9155	13117
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	1138	5345
Los Angeles - Pacoima	18982	24659
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	201	5226
Los Angeles - Palms	3364	7667
Los Angeles - Panorama City	15063	20017
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	875	6443
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	7772	18575
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	172	5382
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	845	7719
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	3220	9048
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	513	7820
Los Angeles - Regent Square	326	11727
Los Angeles - Reseda	13369	17449
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	820	17688
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	333	7876
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	9170	11751
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	488	10986
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	8008	9178
Los Angeles - Silverlake	4135	9380
Los Angeles - South Carthay	968	9136
Los Angeles - South Park	8221	21656
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	776	16928
Los Angeles - Studio City	1919	8552
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	10683	20355
Los Angeles - Sunland	2718	13318
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	47	7264
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	18367	22291
Los Angeles - Tarzana	4079	13211
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	5834	14776
Los Angeles - Thai Town	1119	11408
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	734	8433
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	179	13706
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	152	8181
Los Angeles - Tujunga	3550	12765
Los Angeles - University Hills	317	9245
Los Angeles - University Park	4132	15050
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	4578	15252
Los Angeles - Valley Village	2751	11129
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	16731	17953
Los Angeles - Venice	2615	7717
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	3357	19517
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	1715	22398
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	8688	21095
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	12190	23443
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	1181	14061
Los Angeles - View Heights	290	7851
Los Angeles - Watts	8618	20195
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	685	13937
Los Angeles - West Adams	4596	16634
Los Angeles - West Hills	3894	9604
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	3227	8574
Los Angeles - West Vernon	11438	21322
Los Angeles - Westchester	3499	6781
Los Angeles - Westlake	8704	14664
Los Angeles - Westwood	3636	6720
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	8188	22663
Los Angeles - Wilmington	9729	17223
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	6460	12876
Los Angeles - Winnetka	7864	15186
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	6743	9908
Unincorporated - Acton	732	9183
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	388	9331
Unincorporated - Altadena	4000	9170
Unincorporated - Anaverde	176	11671
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	38	3052
Unincorporated - Arcadia	725	9084
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	7537	17758
Unincorporated - Athens Village	1181	24117
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	1260	18598
Unincorporated - Azusa	2664	16731
Unincorporated - Bassett	2877	19417
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	63	5871
Unincorporated - Bradbury	52	48148
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	1119	14480
Unincorporated - Castaic*	4364	16049
Unincorporated - Cerritos	76	12947
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	0	0
Unincorporated - Claremont	51	7265
Unincorporated - Covina	2703	16071
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	1799	13687
Unincorporated - Del Aire	383	8718
Unincorporated - Del Rey	41	12893
Unincorporated - Del Sur	236	9772
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	408	16366
Unincorporated - Duarte	943	21296
Unincorporated - East Covina	44	13374
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	629	11886
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	19	16667
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	27458	21919
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	238	3717
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	3103	20270
Unincorporated - East Whittier	571	10761
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	969	11023
Unincorporated - El Monte	24	16552
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	107	6442
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	14977	23147
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	1	8333
Unincorporated - Glendora	84	12727
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	5985	10702
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	0	0
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	353	14041
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	53	4827
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	308	21813
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	1414	7141
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	16	2367
Unincorporated - La Rambla	319	15373
Unincorporated - La Verne*	200	9804
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	550	7778
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	55	8234
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	1872	14407
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	175	10651
Unincorporated - Lakewood	0	0
Unincorporated - Lennox	3905	17323
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	148	8452
Unincorporated - Littlerock	624	15519
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	143	11025
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	608	17036
Unincorporated - Llano	54	6157
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	649	6896
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	440	11337
Unincorporated - Newhall	70	31818
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	186	15526
Unincorporated - North Whittier	1260	15072
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	1875	7801
Unincorporated - Padua Hills	12	5581
Unincorporated - Palmdale	125	14846
Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula	31	4992
Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano	174	8896
Unincorporated - Pellissier Village	189	30533
Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon	4	870
Unincorporated - Pomona	73	3767
Unincorporated - Quartz Hill	1569	12157
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	470	17663
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	106	11386
Unincorporated - Rosewood	199	15474
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	194	16262
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	595	17703
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	4141	8116
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	19	2214
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	3858	19079
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	43	2113
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	22	7143
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	234	87640
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	983	5279
Unincorporated - Saugus	161	103871
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	47	13202
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	41	9011
Unincorporated - South El Monte	383	21337
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	1048	11844
Unincorporated - South Whittier	9564	16149
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	104	13316
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	1638	7813
Unincorporated - Sun Village	1037	17180
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	209	16127
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	134	8082
Unincorporated - Val Verde	416	12572
Unincorporated - Valencia	266	8659
Unincorporated - Valinda	4251	18189
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	983	8449
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	3339	20684
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	63	4169
Unincorporated - West Carson	2694	12198
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	4	33333
Unincorporated - West LA	211	22164
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	1915	19471
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	229	16851
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	4816	17887
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	60	4615
Unincorporated - Westhills	66	7867
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	358	9720
Unincorporated - Whittier	369	9752
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	54	450000
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	7772	22261
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	633	10503
- Under Investigation	17014

These numbers are subject to change based on further investigation. 27 cases previously reported were not in Public Health's jurisdiction.

*Means that case numbers include cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks located in the city/community.

**Rate is crude and is per 100,000. This represents the number of cases per 100,000 people and allows for the proportional comparison of cities of different sizes.

The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well-being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises nearly 4,500 employees and has an annual budget of $1.2 billion.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health works to protect health,
prevent disease, and promote health and well-being.

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