‌

Press Release: COVID Cases and Outbreaks Increasing at K-12 Schools; Public Health Working with Education Partners to Support Safety Measures - 2,484 New Positive Cases and 5 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

County of Los Angeles, California sent this bulletin at 05/04/2022 04:22 PM PDT

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

For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2022

COVID Cases and Outbreaks Increasing at K-12 Schools; Public Health Working with Education Partners to Support Safety Measures

2,484 New Positive Cases and 5 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As Los Angeles County experiences a high rate of COVID transmission and steady rise in cases, K-12 schools continue to see increases in cases among staff and students, and the number of school outbreaks.

The number of cases among students and staff more than quadrupled between March 27 and April 24, likely reflecting the elimination of the indoor masking requirement in mid-March, students and staff recently returning to campus after gathering and traveling for the Spring holidays, and end-of-year events now underway. For the week ending April 24, there were 3,164 positive cases, with 2,544 among students and 620 among staff. For the week prior, ending April 17, there were 1,879 positive cases at K-12 schools, with 1,478 among students and 401 among staff.

School-associated outbreaks increased slightly for the week ending April 30 with 18 outbreaks (10 in elementary schools, four in middle schools, three in high schools, and one in youth sports). One week prior, for the week ending April 23, there were 13 outbreaks (six in elementary schools, one in a middle school, two in high schools, and four in youth sports). Many of the outbreaks outside of classrooms, some of which have involved dozens of students, have been linked to activities such as indoor school events, proms, musical and theater performances, and field trips.

With increases in the number of outbreaks, and student and staff cases, Public Health’s specialized School Support Team is offering school partners information, resources, help with outbreak management, and technical assistance to support strategies that enhance safety at schools and at school-sponsored events.

Public Health continues to strongly recommend that all students and staff wear well-fitting masks or respirators when indoors and requires masking indoors for any asymptomatic staff and students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. This simple step can make a substantial difference, since wearing a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings has been associated with significantly lower odds of testing positive for COVID-19 and masking requirements in schools have been associated with lower risks of outbreaks.

With funding from the CDC, Public Health has partnered with the LA County Office of Education and Heluna Health to support COVID-19 testing in public, charter, and private schools across the County. Public Health is supporting school-based COVID-19 testing programs as well as providing testing support on site; this includes the distribution of more than 8.1 million over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, provided by Public Health, the State, and CDC, to students and staff in schools across the County.

Schools are encouraged to use these testing resources to incorporate response COVID-19 testing into their regular operations. Response testing includes ensuring access to testing for students and staff who have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and who have COVID-19 symptoms. If resources are available, schools can also offer weekly testing for those who are not fully vaccinated, since these individuals are at elevated risk of becoming severely ill should they become infected and would benefit from an early diagnosis.

Parents and students are expected to follow the isolation and quarantine Health Officer Orders. Students who are required to isolate shouldn’t return to school until they’ve been released from isolation. If they meet the criteria to leave isolation early, they should wear a highly protective mask around others, except when eating or drinking, for 10 days after their symptoms started or the date of their first positive test if they’re asymptomatic.

Exposed asymptomatic students can remain in school, provided they wear a mask indoors when they are around others, for 10 days after their last exposure, and are tested three to five days after exposure, to make sure they aren’t infected.

Parents are urged to take advantage of the nearly 700 school-based vaccination clinics that are available during the month of May. These campus vaccine sites offer pediatric doses for ages 5-11, as well as vaccines and boosters for eligible individuals 12 years of age and older. As a reminder, vaccines continue to prevent severe illness and hospitalizations, and are the safest way to keep children in school and participating in other activities.

“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. “I know many people are tired of the pandemic, they are tired of wearing masks, and exhausted trying to deal with the uncertainty and ever-changing guidance. It is very tempting to minimize the impact of the virus to support our desire to return to our pre-pandemic lives. Unfortunately, this would be a mistake that could make it harder for us to embrace strategies that extend protections while minimizing disruptions. There continue to be sensible steps we can take to reduce risk and prevent serious illness and deaths among those most vulnerable.”

Today, Public Health reported 5 additional deaths and 2,484 new positive cases today. Of the 5 new deaths reported today, two were between the ages of 65-79 and three were aged 80 years or older. Of the 5 newly reported deaths, 4 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,982.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,882,279 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 2.2 %.

There are 248 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,871,058 individuals, with 22% 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	2,882,279
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,726,983
-- Long Beach	126,435
-- Pasadena	28,861
Deaths	31,982
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	30,303
-- Long Beach	1,265
-- Pasadena	414
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	83818
- 5 to 11	242309
- 12 to 17	236515
- 18 to 29	607969
- 30 to 49	870297
- 50 to 64	451168
- 65 to 79	175759
- over 80	57105
- Under Investigation	2043
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1387696
- Male	1262844
- Other	1189
- Under Investigation	75254
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	5014
- Asian	170489
- Black	137026
- Hispanic/Latino	1238003
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13802
- White	355140
- Other	302179
- Under Investigation	505330
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	137,578
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	3783
- Black	2807
- Hispanic/Latino	15580
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	112
- White	7550
- Other	308
- Under Investigation	90
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	4302	20600
City of Alhambra	17307	19956
City of Arcadia	8308	14385
City of Artesia	4220	25127
City of Avalon	63	1628
City of Azusa	13815	27608
City of Baldwin Park	23013	29977
City of Bell	13937	38360
City of Bell Gardens	14211	32994
City of Bellflower	23472	30195
City of Beverly Hills	8599	24910
City of Bradbury	66	6174
City of Burbank	22828	21299
City of Calabasas	4110	16898
City of Carson	25850	27545
City of Cerritos	8624	17225
City of Claremont	7188	19702
City of Commerce*	4532	34677
City of Compton	33237	33269
City of Covina	14800	30184
City of Cudahy	10073	41373
City of Culver City	7686	19280
City of Diamond Bar	9327	16217
City of Downey	36241	31717
City of Duarte	5225	23733
City of El Monte	33250	28354
City of El Segundo	2884	17181
City of Gardena	16410	26766
City of Glendale	45058	21821
City of Glendora	11925	22601
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4198	28605
City of Hawthorne	22801	25681
City of Hermosa Beach	3410	17336
City of Hidden Hills	272	14392
City of Huntington Park	22148	37234
City of Industry	405	92677
City of Inglewood	29627	26084
City of Irwindale	538	36875
City of La Canada Flintridge	2991	14454
City of La Habra Heights	162	2970
City of La Mirada	10576	21323
City of La Puente	12773	31386
City of La Verne	7136	21441
City of Lakewood	19226	23924
City of Lancaster*	51179	31676
City of Lawndale	8192	24371
City of Lomita	4372	21091
City of Lynwood*	24896	34555
City of Malibu	2183	16843
City of Manhattan Beach	5164	14345
City of Maywood	10607	37816
City of Monrovia	8392	21629
City of Montebello	19356	30068
City of Monterey Park	11772	18907
City of Norwalk	33389	31024
City of Palmdale	53270	33510
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1567	11589
City of Paramount	19011	33934
City of Pico Rivera	21086	32801
City of Pomona	52300	33540
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	5046	11804
City of Redondo Beach	10351	15068
City of Rolling Hills	194	10000
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1024	12622
City of Rosemead	10952	19787
City of San Dimas*	8154	23624
City of San Fernando	10507	42691
City of San Gabriel	7727	18868
City of San Marino	1490	11222
City of Santa Clarita	54749	24838
City of Santa Fe Springs	6398	34840
City of Santa Monica	17856	19315
City of Sierra Madre	1570	14287
City of Signal Hill	2881	24421
City of South El Monte	6600	31602
City of South Gate	38571	39296
City of South Pasadena	4170	16006
City of Temple City	6362	17452
City of Torrance	23372	15658
City of Vernon	311	148804
City of Walnut	4973	16288
City of West Covina	29557	27308
City of West Hollywood	8275	22395
City of Westlake Village	285	3409
City of Whittier	23920	27358
Los Angeles	1189714	29415
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2630	32065
Los Angeles - Alsace	3577	28742
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	645	25779
Los Angeles - Arleta	13717	39910
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	3616	24656
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	7611	24453
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1547	18353
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2456	19609
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3141	23844
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	33429	38475
Los Angeles - Brentwood	5800	18737
Los Angeles - Brookside	99	17040
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1855	26050
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	20315	31116
Los Angeles - Carthay	3017	21005
Los Angeles - Central	14927	38282
Los Angeles - Century City	2466	19278
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	13524	40052
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	9450	25499
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1730	18864
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2019	25171
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4104	28200
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	3692	24365
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4036	29185
Los Angeles - Crestview	2934	25809
Los Angeles - Del Rey	6128	20470
Los Angeles - Downtown*	12153	44181
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	9475	23933
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	7437	25394
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3424	24018
Los Angeles - El Sereno	13394	32037
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1396	24440
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2753	27067
Los Angeles - Encino	10613	23495
Los Angeles - Exposition	979	29435
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	14618	32544
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	914	25389
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3048	34950
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	19567	41241
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	8151	25791
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3217	29887
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	16249	27924
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	8562	39814
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	3474	20389
Los Angeles - Harbor City	7107	24448
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	12265	28131
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	462	19178
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5186	28755
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	15052	39678
Los Angeles - Highland Park	13174	27224
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4308	31060
Los Angeles - Hollywood	16389	24012
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	5435	18465
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	9307	32609
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2524	31265
Los Angeles - Koreatown	13101	25344
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1255	27528
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	12385	29344
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	4629	35247
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4327	28402
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	10180	31230
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2457	30617
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	6935	24468
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1110	35429
Los Angeles - Longwood	1355	31482
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3968	18364
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2414	28280
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	538	17222
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	7537	17746
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	699	16032
Los Angeles - Melrose	20421	26283
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3514	23380
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	3555	19766
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	9492	39347
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	6454	26730
Los Angeles - North Hills	20180	32773
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	46745	30871
Los Angeles - Northridge	19373	27756
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	3487	16378
Los Angeles - Pacoima	32216	41850
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	644	16745
Los Angeles - Palms	8255	18814
Los Angeles - Panorama City	27244	36205
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2316	17054
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	13945	33328
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	422	13204
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	2357	21531
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	7394	20777
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	1498	22835
Los Angeles - Regent Square	652	23453
Los Angeles - Reseda	24859	32446
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1423	30695
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	885	20932
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	19830	25411
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	989	22265
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	19351	22178
Los Angeles - Silverlake	9857	22360
Los Angeles - South Carthay	2358	22256
Los Angeles - South Park	14922	39309
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	1543	33661
Los Angeles - Studio City	4795	21368
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	18907	36025
Los Angeles - Sunland	5156	25265
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	119	18393
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	33760	40972
Los Angeles - Tarzana	7787	25220
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	11150	28241
Los Angeles - Thai Town	2229	22724
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	1751	20117
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	364	27871
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	330	17761
Los Angeles - Tujunga	6825	24542
Los Angeles - University Hills	725	21143
Los Angeles - University Park	9326	33967
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	8846	29471
Los Angeles - Valley Village	6118	24749
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	30727	32971
Los Angeles - Venice	6778	20003
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	6201	36052
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	3148	41113
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	15609	37899
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	21862	42044
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	2324	27670
Los Angeles - View Heights	763	20655
Los Angeles - Watts	16352	38318
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	1429	29074
Los Angeles - West Adams	8811	31889
Los Angeles - West Hills	8923	22008
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	7816	20767
Los Angeles - West Vernon	20509	38232
Los Angeles - Westchester	9099	17633
Los Angeles - Westlake	17259	29078
Los Angeles - Westwood	10574	19542
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	16357	45274
Los Angeles - Wilmington	19519	34555
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	13146	26203
Los Angeles - Winnetka	15444	29823
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	14865	21843
Unincorporated - Acton	1527	19157
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	786	18903
Unincorporated - Altadena	8501	19489
Unincorporated - Anaverde	325	21552
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	74	5944
Unincorporated - Arcadia	1468	18394
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	14332	33768
Unincorporated - Athens Village	2290	46763
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	2223	32812
Unincorporated - Azusa	4984	31301
Unincorporated - Bassett	4817	32510
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	149	13886
Unincorporated - Bradbury	72	66667
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	2646	34239
Unincorporated - Castaic*	7597	27939
Unincorporated - Cerritos	139	23680
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	2	10000
Unincorporated - Claremont	100	14245
Unincorporated - Covina	4836	28753
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	3624	27572
Unincorporated - Del Aire	905	20601
Unincorporated - Del Rey	96	30189
Unincorporated - Del Sur	543	22484
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	754	30245
Unincorporated - Duarte	1529	34530
Unincorporated - East Covina	76	23100
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	1217	22997
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	37	32456
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	48234	38504
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	328	5123
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	5113	33401
Unincorporated - East Whittier	1080	20354
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	1893	21533
Unincorporated - El Monte	51	35172
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	208	12523
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	26421	40833
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	1	8333
Unincorporated - Glendora	167	25303
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	11878	21239
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	4	400000
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	608	24185
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	134	12204
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	537	38031
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	2953	14913
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	17	2515
Unincorporated - La Rambla	608	29301
Unincorporated - La Verne*	505	24755
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	1302	18413
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	149	22305
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	3455	26589
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	346	21059
Unincorporated - Lakewood	1	877
Unincorporated - Lennox	6445	28591
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	259	14792
Unincorporated - Littlerock	1198	29794
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	278	21434
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	1042	29196
Unincorporated - Llano	101	11517
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	1724	18319
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	881	22700
Unincorporated - Newhall	87	39545
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	342	28548
Unincorporated - North Whittier	2412	28852
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	4149	17262
Unincorporated - Padua Hills	26	12093
Unincorporated - Palmdale	217	25772
Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula	66	10628
Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano	322	16462
Unincorporated - Pellissier Village	297	47981
Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon	15	3261
Unincorporated - Pomona	141	7276
Unincorporated - Quartz Hill	3123	24198
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	941	35363
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	217	23308
Unincorporated - Rosewood	394	30638
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	415	34786
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	1078	32074
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	8891	17426
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	35	4079
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	6430	31799
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	66	3243
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	49	15909
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	617	231086
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	2882	15477
Unincorporated - Saugus	321	207097
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	90	25281
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	88	19341
Unincorporated - South El Monte	625	34819
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	2045	23113
Unincorporated - South Whittier	17340	29280
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	185	23688
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	4148	19784
Unincorporated - Sun Village	1817	30103
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	422	32562
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	313	18878
Unincorporated - Val Verde	861	26020
Unincorporated - Valencia	690	22461
Unincorporated - Valinda	7517	32164
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	2527	21719
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	6127	37955
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	135	8934
Unincorporated - West Carson	5618	25437
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	4	33333
Unincorporated - West LA	577	60609
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	3240	32944
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	392	28845
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	8307	30852
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	173	13308
Unincorporated - Westhills	132	15733
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	730	19821
Unincorporated - Whittier	744	19662
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	65	541667
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	13795	39513
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	1437	23843
- Under Investigation	67003

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 of more than 5,000 employees and has an annual budget of $1.3 billion.

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

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions | Help

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

This service is provided to you at no charge by County of Los Angeles.