L.A. County Reports Over 3,000 New COVID-19 Cases for First Time Since February 13

AMTV, LOS ANGELES July 23, – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) confirms 3,058 new cases of COVID-19, marking the third day in a row with more than 2,500 cases reported in a day. Over the last four days more than 10,000 cases were reported.

There are 655 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized; an increase of more than 200 people in one week. Last Friday, there were 452 people hospitalized with COVID-19 illness.

Today’s test positivity rate is 5.2%, an increase from last Friday’s rate of 4.0%.

Of the 7 new deaths reported today, one person who passed away was over the age of 80, one person who passed was between the ages of 65 and 79, and four people who passed were between the ages of 50 and 64. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach. To date, Public Health identified 1,279,171 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 24,614 deaths. Testing results are available for more than 7,230,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive.

As transmission accelerates in L.A. County, Public Health cautions that unvaccinated people are becoming infected at 5 times the rate of transmission of just one month ago.

If you are eligible for a vaccine but have not yet been vaccinated, consider getting vaccinated now. Fully vaccinated people remain well protected from severe illness and death from COVID-19 and known variants of concern like the Delta variant.

Because of the intensity of COVID-19 transmission in L.A. County, masks are required for everyone 2 years of age and older, regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor public places to prevent COVID-19 spread.

Residents should be aware of certain places where COVID-19 can spread more easily, including:

Indoors and closed spaces.
Crowded places with many people nearby.
Close contact settings especially where people are talking, shouting, or singing (or breathing heavily) close together.

Knowing which situations are riskier can help you to assess your risk and take steps to protect yourself in different situations.

“To the families that are experiencing the profound grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19, we send our deepest condolences and wish you healing,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “If we didn’t have 5.3 million people fully vaccinated in L.A. County, we would probably be seeing almost double the number of cases today. As cases continue to rise, many of us are trying to figure out what steps to take to minimize exposure to the virus. For those eligible and not yet vaccinated, now would be an important time to get your vaccine because our three vaccines all offer a lot of protection to the vaccinated person and also slow down the spread. For everyone, common sense precautions including masking when indoors, frequent handwashing, and avoiding crowds, will reduce your risk while allowing you to continue to enjoy the activities you love.”

Public Health tracks the impact of COVID-19 on expecting and new moms and newborns. As of July 20, there are 10,614 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19; an increase of 213 cases from the previous week. Seventy-seven percent of pregnant women testing positive for COVID-19 are Latina/Latinx, 11% are White, 5% are African American/Black, 4% are Asian. Among the 10,266 births where there was testing information, 55 infants tested positive for the virus. Twelve pregnant women positive for COVID-19 passed away.

Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding can choose to get the COVID-19 vaccine with any of the three vaccines. If you are an expecting mom or new mom and have questions about getting vaccinated, speak with your healthcare provider. While a conversation with your healthcare provider may be helpful, it is not required prior to vaccination.

Through Thursday, July 29 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 tickets to an array of concerts presented by AEG.