LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb 1 – Public Health data shows that LA County is continuing to head in the right direction with decreases across most COVID-19 metrics including daily cases, test positivity, and hospitalizations.
For the week ending January 31, LA County reported an average of 18,617 daily cases, representing a 38% decrease from the average of 29,978 daily cases reported the previous week. Similarly, the daily average case rate decreased to 193 positive cases per 100,000 residents for the week ending January 31 compared to 311 positive cases per 100,000 residents for the prior week, representing a 38% decline in the average daily case rate. The seven-day average daily test positivity rate also declined by 33% to 8.8%, compared to 13.2% for the week prior.
In addition to hopeful case and test positivity trends, hospital admissions for Covid-positive patients in LA County have also significantly declined. For the week ending January 30, the seven-day average of daily hospital admissions decreased by 143 admissions from the prior week to 441 admissions, translating into a 24% decline in County hospital admissions.
Unfortunately, deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, continue to trend slightly upward. The 7-day average daily deaths increased by 7% from an average of 58 daily reported deaths for the week ending January 24, to an average of 62 daily deaths reported for the week ending January 31. Tragically, we are reporting another 37 deaths in the county today.
“I send my heartfelt condolences and wishes for healing to every family mourning the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPh, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The declines we are seeing are a hopeful sign that many of the disruptions experienced during this surge will begin to dissipate. Staffing shortages at schools, hospitals, public safety agencies, and businesses have interrupted essential services and the sheer number of residents infected, completely stressed our healthcare providers. Slowing the spread is always helped by many integrated public health interventions and we are grateful to all who continue to layer in protections and take personal responsibility for getting us back down to low rates of COVID -19 transmission. While we have turned the corner, we will need to remain cautious in order to maintain this downward trend.”
Today, Public Health confirmed 37 additional deaths and 8,786 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 37 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30 and 49, two were between the ages of 50 and 64, 12 were between the ages of 65-79, and 13 were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 37 newly reported deaths, 26 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 28,998. Information on the eight deaths reported by the City of Long Beach.
Public Health has identified a total 2,668,094 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 8.9%.
There are 3,710 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,074,000 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.
To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:
Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
Remain home when sick, isolate if positive and quarantine when in close contact.
Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and are vaccinated. Close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined.