Los Angeles: COVID-19 Transmission Increase Among Unvaccinated Younger People

AMTV, Los Angeles, July 10 – Transmission of COVID-19 in L.A. County is increasing among younger unvaccinated L.A. County residents. Of the 1,094 new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) today, 83% are among people under the age of 50 years old with the highest number of new cases among residents between the ages of 18 and 49 years old with 70% of new cases.

Because of increased intermingling and summer social activities and the circulation of more variants of concern like the highly transmissible Delta variant, Public Health continues to caution there is increased risk of COVID-19 infection for people who aren’t fully vaccinated.

The best protection against COVID-19 is getting fully vaccinated. Public Health recommends anyone not fully vaccinated to take sensible precautions – wear a mask in indoor public and social settings with people who don’t live with you, move social activities outdoors as much as possible, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently when outside your home.

To date, Public Health identified 1,256,515 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,538 deaths. There are 336 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 7,100,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 2.4%. Of the eight new deaths reported today, three people that passed away were over the age of 80, two people who passed were between the ages of 65 and 79, one person who passed was between the ages of 50 and 64, and two people who passed were between the ages of 30 and 49.

“We wish healing and peace to the families and friends mourning their loved one lost to COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As cases increase, the urgency to get more people vaccinated is rising. Nearly 100% of new cases are occurring among those not fully vaccinated. All of our COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at protecting you from severe disease from COVID-19 and variants of concern like the Delta variant. We remain focused on equitably bringing vaccines and high-quality health information to all of our L.A. County communities with a particular focus on those communities that have been hard hit by the pandemic.”

Public Health is connecting employers and community organizations, those who want to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to staff or the community, to County mobile units and vaccination partners throughout the county to provide vaccines at convenient locations where staff and residents gather. Public Health encourages employers and event organizers to visit the Find a Vaccination Provider page to request a mobile team or other vaccination partners to provide vaccines. There are sites set up at retail stores, parks, recreation centers, and many other gathering places all over the county to make it as easy as possible for residents to get vaccinated.

Through Thursday, July 15 at County-run vaccination sites, LA City sites, and St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get a vaccine will have an opportunity to win one of seven packages of concert tickets. Prizes will include tickets to see Celine Dion, Grupo Firma, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, and Dan and Shay at Staples Center, and box seats to four classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Official rules and participating site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweepstakes page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a vaccination site near you, to 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. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.