Los Angeles County’s latest COVID-19 numbers show 3,356 new cases and eight additional deaths, though officials said the data may reflect delays in weekend reporting.
According to state figures released Sunday, the county also saw a slight increase in the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus, but a decrease in the number of those patients in intensive care units.
There were 1,653 patients in the county with COVID-19 as of Sunday, up from 1,650 the day before. Of those patients, 377 were in intensive care, a drop from the 400 reported Friday.
Sunday’s numbers brought the county’s totals to 1,350,370 cases and 24,900 fatalities since the pandemic began.
L.A. County reported 4,229 new cases of COVID-19 and 21 additional deaths on Saturday.
Cases have been reported at an average rate of more than 3,000 cases a day for about the past week, and a rise in case numbers can be expected in the coming weeks with increased testing, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Saturday’s daily test positivity rate was 3.96%, down 25% when compared to the 4.8% positivity rate one week ago. Officials said this likely reflects the increased number of people completing routine screening tests.
County figures show that the vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID are not vaccinated. During the month of July, vaccinated residents represented just 13% of people hospitalized with the virus.
The health department said infection rates show that unvaccinated people are almost four times more likely to get infected with COVID-19; the case rate for unvaccinated individuals is 243 cases per 100,000 people, while the case rate for fully vaccinated people is 66 cases per 100,000 people. Vaccinated people are about 14 times less likely to be hospitalized than their unvaccinated or partially vaccinated counterparts.
“During this time of high transmission of a very infectious variant, I want to caution everyone to take precautions, even vaccinated people,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
“While there is clear evidence that risks are significantly reduced for vaccinated individuals, common-sense precautions are warranted by everyone at this time, in part because fully vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant can transmit the virus to other people.
“Fully vaccinated people are encouraged to use caution in crowded and indoor settings, especially around unvaccinated people outside of their household. Remember that distancing and masking add layers of protection. Fully vaccinated people are also encouraged to take extra precautions among people outside their household and assess how much risk there may be at events or activities they’re are planning to attend.
“Any fully vaccinated person that has symptoms of illness and/or a known or probable exposure should get tested, and while waiting for the results from testing, remain isolated from others.”
With the newly provided blessing of the federal government, L.A. County health officials began offering third doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID- 19 vaccines Saturday for people with severely compromised immune systems.
Among those qualifying for the booster shots are organ transplant recipients, people undergoing cancer treatment, HIV patients and people on select “immunosuppressive medications.”
The health department urged people to consult their doctors to confirm their eligibility for the third shot, which should be administered at least 28 days following the second dose.
The third doses are being offered at vaccination sites in the county offering the Pfizer and Moderna shots. People looking for the shots will be able to simply “self-attest” that they have a qualifying medical condition.
“Studies have shown immunocompromised people are more likely to have post vaccination infection and become severely ill from COVID-19,” Ferrer said. “An additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious illness and death.
“If you have a qualifying condition, we encourage you to speak to your health care provider about getting a third dose,” she added. “We also encourage those who are close contacts of immunocompromised people to get vaccinated as soon as possible in order to protect their family members and friends who are at higher risk.”
The booster shots received final approval last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More shots! More vaccines! More COVID! Yay!!!!
Get a 3rd shot of vax (that causes covid to create variants) that allegedly helped against the old strain but isn’t made for the new variant? Genius. Time for people to start following the inventor of mRna Dr. Robert Malone MD on Twitter. Listen to some music to take off the blinders by Tom MacDonald on YouTube.
It is OUTRAGEOUS that MS (I refuse to call her “doctor”; she is NOT a medical professional of any sort) Barbara Ferrer puts the burden in her remarks on FULLY VACCINATED people to “wear masks” and “isolate” when they there might be unvaccinated people present! The burden should be on the unvaccinated to get their vaccine to protect themselves, NOT on the vaccinated who are extremely unlikely to infect anyone else and extremely unlikely to be infected with the delta variant (even though possible). How DARE she target her remarks to the fully vaccinated with her admonitions, instead of focusing… Read more »
Relax Ken. It’s a complex issue. Civil liberties of everyone have to be upheld.
You need a vaccine for anger issues
For those of us who have been responsible we must yet again protect ourselves against those who refuse to do the right thing. Delta is much more contagious and even vaccinated people can spread it. Am I furious with those who refuse to comply? Yes. In the end though, I plan on taking Farrer’s advice. I can not change what others do or don’t do but I can do what I can to protect my neighbors, family and myself. Farrer can’t do any more than that either. The misinformed folks who insist on their freedoms don’t care a lick about… Read more »
Beetlejuice Barbara, dumber than a post more dangerous than Covid.
Unvaccinated people do more than merely risk their own health. They’re also a risk to everyone if they become infected with coronavirus, infectious disease specialists say.
That’s because the only source of new coronavirus variants is the body of an infected person.
“Unvaccinated people are potential variant factories,” Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN Friday.
“The more unvaccinated people there are, the more opportunities for the virus to multiply,” Schaffner said.
Amen! And yet look at what Ferrer says. ALL of the burden and the object of her remarks is on what FULLY VACCINATED people “need to do” to “protect” the unvaccinated! “While there is clear evidence that risks are significantly reduced for vaccinated individuals, common-sense precautions are warranted by everyone at this time, in part because fully vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant can transmit the virus to other people. “Fully vaccinated people are encouraged to use caution in crowded and indoor settings, especially around unvaccinated people outside of their household. Remember that distancing and masking add layers of… Read more »
I’m so tired of the unvaxxed causing problems in the lives of thise that are doing the right thing by GETTING VAXXED.
You go too far Jimmy. You’re an angry person.
Funny….no one ever said that to me when I was fighting to get meds for HIV, no one ever said that to me when I have handed out more than a million condoms, no one ever said that to me when I had a gun facing me at the Mormon temple, fighting to eliminate prop 8. Ya know when people started sayining that???? WHEN I was angry a virus that could be prevented with a vax, and save healthcare workers, dollars and rooms, became political. THAT’S WHEN…..So I’ll take that as a compliment.
You spew hatred and venom for those you disagree with. Not a nice person.
Thank you Jimmy! I remember how angry we all were during the Reagan years when our brothers were left to die without any help or hope.
I was in NYC at that time and we were in the streets…we were angry and we were very organized. We didn’t just get HIV drugs on a silver platter folks.
If we were in the middle of the AIDS crisis now the HIV Positive men would demand the Bath houses stay open but you must be vaccinated and wear a mask to enter. The only reason they scream our for healthy people to get vaccinated by this poison and wear a mask is because they were irresponsible and spread a deadly virus and now want everyone to protect them because they didn’t protect their own health and now have underlying conditions. They don’t give a damn about the unvaccinated once again they only care about themselves. If you’re vaccinated 3… Read more »
HIV Positive men scream for healthy people to get vaccinated because we lost an entire generation of gay men to a virus that still has no vaccine.
Healthy people don’t need vaccines…
Please find an inoculation for rage and unreasonableness as soon as possible . People can be easily infected by anger and it becomes its own pandemic.
Per Left Wing news outlet Sky News more people dead vaxxed then unvaxxed. Yet … Zero dead athletes, politicians, musicians, celebrities, homeless. The new flu has a 99.9% survival rate. Just as long as you’re not morbidly obese or 100 years old. Man up and contract covid like the homeless have and toughen up your immune system instead of wearing your worthless security blanket on your face, it’s like putting up a fence to keep mosquitoes out of your yard. Get the antibodies like I did and help save humanity, the morbidly obese and elderly like I am every time… Read more »
“…CANNOT compare the number of Covid deaths among vaccinated and unvaccinated people and come to any conclusions about how effective the jabs are.
Dying of Covid is different than with Covid, per the CDC 600k with 9k of. The new flu is political because less people are dying “of” the new flu than of the old flu.
Hey people that have made bad choices their whole lives don’t want to listen to facts. They want to make more bad choices and bring you down with them. It’s called NID, Narcissistic Intellectual Dishonesty. I just came up with that reading Jimmy’s opinion pieces. Dear friend healthy as can be died 3 weeks ago the day after getting the J & J vaccine. Another one parylized for life after getting the Merck. I’m hearing more and more about people getting maimed by getting the shot than getting Covid. The White House doesn’t even make their staff get the vaccine… Read more »
Positive Incentives worked a bit. NOW IS THE TIME TO FLIP IT. ANYONE ELIGIBLE/ABLE TO GET VACCINATED FOR FREE SHOULD LOSE INSURANCE COVERAGE IF THEY GET COVID AND REQUIRE HOSPITAL CARE. Not a Republican, but why do we have to pay taxes to cover people choosing then getting COVID with a cost over $100,000 and up for COVID HOSPITAL TREATMENT!? (I sound Republican in this comment, but as far NOT a Republican as possible. Perhaps this opinion sounds Republican AND SHOULD BE MESSAGED TO NON VACCINATED, REPUBLIC CANS WHO ARE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE NOW FLOODING & HARMING THE HOSPITAL CARE… Read more »
Since the vaccine is creating variants and VARS per the CDC is higher than ever and more people dying vaxxed than unvaxxed I say those are the people who should lose their benefits.
Then you should feel the same way about HIV positive or AIDS patients that were irresponsible about their health. Just drop their insurance.
Apparently you won’t get Covid if you get a vaccine and you won’t get HIV or AIDS if you abstain or practice safe sex. So let’s just drop insurance right now for both of those groups. I totally agree.
Can you post a link to locations giving the third dose immunocompromised people?
anitamares2259@gmail.com
Anywhere CVS, Ralph’s and Pavilions
You just walk in there is no appointment necessary and say you are there for your booster shot.
That was the initial recommendation.
At least 28 days after your last dose for immunocompromised.
Eight weeks after your second (or final) dose, vaccines will be available to others.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/HCWSignup/