Public Health Underscores Importance of Testing and Contact Tracing, Confirms COVID-19 Death of a Teen

LOS ANGELES, Calif. Aug 20 – As high transmission of COVID-19 continues in L.A. County, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) underscores the importance of getting tested for COVID-19 infection and participating in contact tracing efforts if you are positive or a close contact of someone infected with COVID-19.

Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 illness or close contacts of people infected with COVID-19, including fully vaccinated people, should get tested, and should remain isolated from others while waiting for test results.

Public Health urges residents to participate in case investigation and contact tracing efforts.

Anyone who receives a positive lab result or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, should expect a call from a Public Health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, how to isolate or quarantine, how to access services and providers, and to talk through other concerns or questions. If you receive a call from Public Health, please speak with a Public Health specialist to help slow the spread. If a Public Health specialist calls, it will display on your phone as “LA Public Health” or as 833-641-0305. You can also call Public Health at 833-540-0473 if you have tested positive and have questions or concerns about how to stay safe and keep others from getting infected. If you tested positive but have not gotten a call yet, please call 833-540-0473.

To date, more than 746,000 people who were positive for COVID-19 or close contacts completed interviews.

Today, Public Health confirms 31 new deaths and 3,361 new cases of COVID-19. Public Health has sadly confirmed one of today’s COVID-19 deaths is a teen between the ages of 12 and 17. The teen who passed away had underlying conditions.

To date, Public Health identified 1,376,551 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 25,032 deaths. Of the 25,032 COVID-19 deaths, seven children in L.A. County have died of COVID-19 infection: 2 children under 12 years old and 5 children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Of the 31 new deaths reported today, eight people who passed away were over the age of 80, 13 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, six people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and a teen between the ages of 12 and 17.

There are 1,786 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 7,900,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 3.6%.

“To everyone mourning a loved one lost to COVID-19, please know we keep you in our thoughts and prayers. And to the family mourning the loss of their child, I send my deepest sympathies during this unimaginable time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Everyone who is not yet vaccinated needs to know they do not have the same protection as vaccinated people. While the highest hospitalization rate is among older unvaccinated adults over 50, hospitalizations in younger unvaccinated adults between the ages of 18 and 49 have increased 226% since July 7. Relative to unvaccinated adults, hospitalization rates among vaccinated adults of all ages remain very low. The data continues to show how well protected vaccinated people are from bad outcomes. Our top priority is vaccinating those not yet vaccinated.”

L.A. County continues to offer COVID-19 vaccines at many different sites across the county that have weekends and evening hours. Anyone 12 and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Many vaccination sites across the county, including all the County-run sites, are also offering third doses of vaccine to eligible immunocompromised people.