LOS ANGELES, Calif. Aug19 – Los Angeles County surpassed the grim milestone of losing more than 25,000 residents to COVID-19. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is one of the leading causes of death – surpassing stroke, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. To date, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) identified 1,362,848 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,002 deaths.
Today, Public Health confirms 35 new deaths and 3,239 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 35 new deaths reported today, nine people who passed away were over the age of 80, 11 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, nine people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, four people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29.
The County’s 7-day cumulative case rate is now 204.2 new cases per 100,000 residents, which represents a 5% increase from last week.
There are 1,790 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU.
Between July 11 and August 11, hospitalizations rose by 333% to an average of 1,622 beds filled with people testing positive for COVID-19 on any given day, and deaths rose 275% to an average of 15 deaths per day.
Testing results are available for nearly 7,850,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 3.7%; a decrease from last week’s same-day rate of 4.5%. As schools and institutes of higher education return to session and their routine testing programs come back online, Public Health expects to see hundreds of thousands more test results each week and in parallel with those, increases in cases.
With many school districts countywide reopening this week and in the near future, Public Health is monitoring school cases in outbreaks among staff and students. There are several types of Public Health teams working with schools to ensure the safety of students and staff. School technical assistance or STAT teams reach out to schools proactively to assess preventive readiness and advise on options for improvement. Exposure management teams follow up on cases reported by schools and help identify possible sources of infection as well as close contacts, while also ensuring that schools provide appropriate isolation guidance to infected staff or students and their parents. And if more than one case is identified at a given school, educational setting outbreak teams will work with the school to determine whether these cases are connected. If evidence of contagion at a school site emerges, this team will take over the investigation and help the school identify steps it can take to reduce risk to the broader school community.
In the 24 hours between 8:00 a.m. August 17 and 8:00 a.m. August 18, 118 new K-12-associated cases were reported. Public Health teams are working closely with schools to ensure that positive cases are isolated and close contacts quarantined to reduce additional transmission at schools.
To ensure transparency with school communities, Public Health will launch an online school dashboard in September. The dashboard will include a district map shaded to provide district level information on testing volume, community case rates, and community vaccination rates. The dashboard will also display school level information, including numbers of student and staff cases, details on outbreaks at the school, and the number of students at the school required to quarantine.
“I extend my deepest condolences to all those who have lost friends, loved ones, and family. Please know that our hearts and our prayers are with you today and always,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is with much sorrow that we mark this devastating milestone of 25,000 deaths in our County. This virus continues to cause debilitating and dangerous illness among many who are infected. Losses we suffer now are particularly sad because almost all of them are preventable with extremely safe and widely available vaccines. Given the importance of continuing our recovery journey, we need to act with a sense of urgency to reduce community transmission as quickly as possible. Layering on public health protections is sensible, while noting that the most effective tool for slowing the spread is the vaccine. Right now, the people who need to be getting vaccinated are those 12 and over who haven’t yet received their first doses; the people due for their second doses, which includes everyone more than 3 weeks out from their first dose of Pfizer and more than 4 weeks out from their first dose of Moderna; and immunocompromised people who now are approved for their third doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.”
As of August 15, 90% of LA County residents 65 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, as have 74% of residents 16 and over and 73% of residents 12 and over. Sixty-three percent of residents 12 and over have been fully vaccinated. Of L.A. County teens between the ages of 12 and 17, 56% have received at least one dose and 46% are fully vaccinated. Out of the nearly 10.3 million L.A. County residents, including those who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, 63% have received at least one dose, and 55% are fully vaccinated.
Among the more than 5.1 million fully vaccinated people in L.A. County, Public Health identified 27,331 people fully vaccinated who tested positive for COVID-19 as of August 17; this is less than 1% of all those vaccinated. Of those who tested positive, 742 were hospitalized, up from 549 the week prior. This translates to 0.014% of all fully vaccinated people ending up hospitalized. Deaths in this group over this interval increased, from 55 to 68, to 0.0013%. These small increases reflect the reality that the vaccines do not provide 100% protection, and that with high rates of community transmission, more fully vaccinated people are getting post vaccination infections. However, this very same information also makes it clear how much protection vaccinated people still have; most fully vaccinated people do not get infected, they don’t end up hospitalized, and they are very unlikely to tragically lose their life to COVID-19.
Federal officials announced changes to vaccination strategies aimed at increasing the protection afforded to people by vaccines. With emerging data indicating that certain populations will need more support to be protected, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on August 13 recommended a third dose of mRNA vaccines for immunocompromised people, including transplant recipients, people with advanced or untreated HIV infection, people actively receiving cancer treatment, and people taking immunosuppressive medications. Third doses have been available to eligible individuals at vaccination sites across the county since Saturday. Additionally, following yesterday’s announcement by the CDC that booster doses of mRNA vaccines will be offered to all vaccinated people, Public Health is continuing to work with staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities to prioritize these most vulnerable residents for booster doses to be prepared for administering these as soon as the Food and Drug Administration gives their approval.
Public Health notes the difference between third doses and booster doses is more than just language. Third doses are meant to elicit an antibody response where there was an inadequate antibody response before, while booster doses are meant to increase antibody levels that have waned after a robust increase in the months after vaccination.
Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. To find a vaccination site near you, make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). 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.
7月15日华盛顿讯，五角大楼正向美国国会申请一项新的广泛权力，以阻止美国公众获取非机密记录。透明度倡导者表示，这项提案可能会大幅削弱美国公众监督五角大楼的能力，并影响对数十亿美元纳税人资金使用情况的了解。 该立法提案旨在联邦法律中新增一个条款，允许美国战争部（DOW）部长在美军认定某些“受控非机密信息”（CUI）涉及国家安全漏洞，且披露造成的损害超过公众利益的情况下，豁免其根据《信息自由法》(FOIA）披露。 受控非密信息系统是在奥巴马政府时期根据一项行政命令设立的，旨在取代各机构数十年来各自制定的数十种不一致的“仅供官方使用”标记。 受控非密信息旨在规范各机构保护敏感但非密信息的方式。重要的是，受控非密信息本身并不赋予政府拒绝向美国公众公开记录的权力。 负责监管政府受控非密信息项目的美国国家档案馆多次强调，被受控非密信息指定为并不影响记录是否可以根据《信息自由法》予以公开。美国战争部等机构仍然必须依据《信息自由法》规定的九项法定豁免条款之一来阻止文件的公开。 五角大楼的提案将从根本上改变这种关系。该提案不再将受控非密信息视为一种行政标记，而是允许美国战争部将其作为完全拒绝公开记录的核心依据之一。 美国1966年颁布的《信息自由法》旨在推翻政府保密推定原则，要求联邦机构公开记录，除非这些记录符合九项严格限定的豁免条款之一。美国国会多次修改法律以强化这一原则，最近一次是通过 2026 年《信息自由法改进法案》，该法案加强了公开推定，要求联邦政府各机构在扣留许多记录之前，必须证明存在具体的而不是推测性的可预见的损害。 五角大楼的这项提案于今年6月下旬提交美国国会，有望纳入今年的立法程序。该提案出台之际，正值美国战争部长皮特·赫格塞斯（Pete Hegseth）领导下，该部在信息管理方面进行更广泛的改革。过去一年，美国战争部对记者在五角大楼内的出入权限和行动范围施加了新的限制，要求记者在以往持证记者可以自行进入的区域必须由官方人员陪同。 《纽约时报》(New York Times）已提起诉讼，挑战五角大楼的这项新规，要求进入五角大楼的记者签署一份协议，该协议可能会限制记者获取信息以及五角大楼的记者陪同政策。联邦法官援引宪法第一修正案，裁定《纽约时报》胜诉，但五角大楼已就这两起案件提起上诉。 五角大楼官员强调，这项立法提案旨在更好地保护敏感军事信息免受外国敌对势力的侵害。该措施将显著扩大美国战争部对非机密记录的保密能力，使其免受公众查阅。该提案还将允许该部阻止州和地方政府根据其自身的信息公开法发布受保护的记录，从而延长五角大楼对信息的控制权，即使这些信息已离开联邦政府的监管范围。…
7月14日丹佛讯，美国廉价航空公司边疆航空 (Frontier Airlines）和共拥有超过 1000 架飞机的其他四家廉价航空公司，将于明年初推出由星链 (Starlink) 提供的机上无线网络Wi-Fi 服务。这是由亿万富翁埃隆·马斯克旗下太空探索科技公司（SpaceX）的卫星互联网供应商星链公司来说又是一次胜利。 总部位于美国科罗拉多州丹佛的边疆航空今天表示，其首架配备星链互联网的空客飞机将于 2027 年初投入运营。2022 年曾有报道称，边疆航空正在与星链公司洽谈，以增加其首个机上 Wi-Fi 服务。 边疆航空发言人暂未透露乘客是否可以免费使用该服务。与星链签署协议的主要航空公司一直为常旅客计划会员提供免费…
7月14日纽约讯，在纽约一个陪审团裁定的特朗普总统应向纽约女专栏作家卡罗尔（E. Jean Carroll）支付500万美元赔偿金，以弥补其性侵和诽谤行为三年后，现年82岁的卡罗尔终于收到了该笔赔偿金。法庭记录显示，卡罗尔已经收到了特朗普总统支付的该笔高达562万美元的巨额赔偿金，其中包括利息。 对急于拿到这笔钱的卡罗尔而言，这场漫长的等待早在2023年她的联邦民事诉讼开庭审理之前就开始了。这位女专栏作家于2019年首次公开讲述自己的遭遇，指控特朗普总统30年前在纽约一家百货商店的试衣间里性侵了她，当时她60多岁。陪审团一致认为，大量证据支持了她的指控。 卡罗尔今天在媒体平台Substack她的博客上向读者发送了一封充满喜悦的电子邮件，标题为“雄鹰已着陆”(The Eagle Has Landed)，感谢了她法律团队的十几位现任和前任成员。 卡罗尔的首席律师罗伯塔·卡普兰（Roberta Kaplan）在的一份声明中，对这位女作家的胜利表示了祝贺。 卡普兰称：“3年前，由9人组成的陪审团一致裁定特朗普总统对卡罗尔进行性侵犯和诽谤，并承担责任，今天，我们很高兴地宣布，她已经收到了陪审团根据该裁决判给她的赔偿金。” 这笔钱此前一直存放在一个由法院控制的银行账户中，但最高法院在6月29日决定不受理特朗普总统的上诉，从而为卡罗尔获得赔偿扫清了障碍。 卡罗尔在她的博客上发表了一篇简短的声明，用大写字母写道：“我们赢了！这场胜利属于全世界的每一位女性！” 此后数日，卡罗尔的律师和特朗普总统的律师展开了激烈的唇枪舌战。卡罗尔力图加快赔偿金的发放，而特朗普总统则试图无限期拖延付款。特朗普总统请求最高法院重新考虑驳回其上诉的决定。卡罗尔的律师卡普兰称此举是“政治伎俩”，并要求审判法官尽快从法院控制的银行账户中释放赔偿金。 联邦陪审团一致认定，特朗普总统很可能在纽约市百货公司波道夫·古德曼（Bergdorf…
7月14日华盛顿讯，美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特（Scott Bessent）今天在社交媒X上宣布，美国铸币局（U.S. Mint）将开始生产一枚印有特朗普总统头像的新款1美元金币。这再次表明，特朗普政府正试图在联邦象征和机构中留下特朗普总统的印记。 贝森特表示，作为政府纪念美国建国250周年举措的一部分，这枚金币将“彰显自由的永恒遗产，并成为爱国主义的永恒象征”。 贝森特补充道：“这枚金币以特朗普总统为主题，颂扬了美国价值观的力量，以及一个致力于维护所有人自由的国家的承诺。” 美国财政部发言人表示，这枚金币已开始生产，将于今年秋季开始发售。该发言人表示，金币由非贵金属制成，但表面将呈现“类似黄金的质感”。 今年5月，美国财政部表示正在考虑发行印有特朗普头像的250美元纸币，但这需要修改联邦法律。当时，美国财政部长贝森特在新闻发布会上曾解释说，除非相关立法获得通过并修改规则，否则任何在世人士都不得出现在美国货币上。此外，所有美国货币都必须印有“我们信仰上帝”（In God We Trust）的字样。 美国法典规定：“只有已故人士的肖像才能出现在美国货币和证券上。肖像下方应刻有逝者的姓名。” 特朗普政府此前曾提议采用相同的设计方案作为美国建国500周年纪念币。根据联邦法律，共和党和民主党组成的公民铸币咨询委员会（CCAC）必须审查并批准拟议的纪念币设计方案。 特朗普政府表示，根据2020年的一项法律，美国总统的肖像可以出现在新硬币上，该法律允许发行新的纪念币来纪念美国建国500周年。 美国财政部发言人还指出，该法律授权美国财政部在2026年1月1日开始的一年内发行“具有美国建国500周年象征意义的”1美元硬币。
7月14日华盛顿讯，美国一个由共和党及民主党参议员组成的小组今天提出一项法案，旨在巩固美国社会保障体系未来几十年的财政状况，并防止依赖该计划的7000万美国人的福利被削减。 此前，美国上个月发布的社会保障受托人年度报告预测，该计划的退休信托基金可能在2032年破产，比最初预测的时间更早。该报告指出，如果这种情况发生，除非美国国会在此之前采取行动，否则将导致福利全面削减22%。 美国这项名为《承诺法案》（Promise Act）的立法本身不会提高税收、减少福利或改变领取资格。相反，它将指示由7名成员组成的两党社会保障咨询委员会（SSAB）起草一项法案，该法案将参考公众意见，以确保该计划的信托基金在未来至少50年内保持偿付能力。 伊利诺伊州民主党参议员、该法案的发起人之一迪克·德宾（Dick Durbin）在一份声明中表示：“国会十多年来一直了解这一挑战，但却迟迟没有着手处理这些政治上棘手的问题，国会拖延的时间越长，未来解决这个问题就越困难。” 这项措施是美国立法者为拯救社会保障体系而可采取的几条途径之一。美国社会保障体系正面临迫在眉睫的资金缺口，因为其支出增长速度超过了收入增长速度。据德宾办公室称，国会议员过去曾提出过解决破产问题的立法，但均未获得足够的支持而通过。 该咨询委员会提出的任何提案都将由美国国会领导人提交至美国众议院和参议院，之后由各委员会审议。各委员会可以举行听证会并对法案进行修改。该法案要成为法律，需要在美国参议院获得五分之三的多数票，并在美国众议院获得多数票。 《承诺法案》的其他发起人包括美国路易斯安那州共和党参议员比尔·卡西迪（Bill Cassidy)、弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员蒂姆·凯恩Tim Kaine)、北卡罗来纳州共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯（Thom Tillis)以及缅因州独立参议员安格斯·金（Angus King)。 负责财政问题的倡导组织“负责任联邦预算委员会” （CRFB）6月份发布的一份独立评估报告显示，如果信托基金储备耗尽，受益人的每月支票金额可能会减少数百美元。…
7月13日伦敦讯，联合国机构国际海事组织（IMO）今天表示，反对在霍尔木兹海峡收取过境费。此前，美国总统特朗普要求通过霍尔木兹海峡的船只向美国支付保护费。 总部位于英国伦敦的联合国机构国际海事组织发言人表示：“我们对收费问题的立场一贯如此——国际海事组织坚决反对对用于国际航行的海峡收取通行费。没有任何法律依据可以强制征收海峡通行费。” 特朗普总统今天表示，美国军方将保护通过霍尔木兹海峡的船只，但要求伊朗支付相当于所有通过该海峡运输货物价值20%的费用。他还命令美国海军重新封锁伊朗船只。 特朗普总统说：“霍尔木兹海峡是开放的，而且无论伊朗是否参与，都将保持开放。” “我们正在恢复对伊朗的封锁，之所以这样称呼，是因为它只阻止伊朗的船只或客户进出霍尔木兹海峡。其他所有国家都将享有公平、开放的通行权。” 伊朗过去曾要求船只支付通行费才能安全通过霍尔木兹海峡。伊朗根据6月17日与美国签署的谅解备忘录，同意在60天内免收通行费。 过去一周，伊朗袭击了多艘途经霍尔木兹海峡的商船，导致该海峡的安全局势恶化。伊朗要求所有船只改走途经其领海的北部航线。美国海军一直在协助船只经由阿曼海岸的南部通道通行。 美国为报复伊朗袭击船只，已对伊朗发动了多轮空袭。伊朗则以炮击美国在海湾盟友的军事基地作为回应。