February 25, 2021
By Brian W. Carter
Contributing Writer
“Half a million people have passed away across our nation, and here in L.A. County, we are approaching the terrible milestone of 20,000 deaths,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We hope that people chose to celebrate the Super Bowl and the Presidents Day weekend safely, with members of their household.”
Ferrer continued, “Should we continue to see less cases, we can move forward in our recovery, as lower case rates allow for other sector re-openings. Last week, the decline in the daily case rate allowed schools the option of reopening for in-class instruction for students in grades TK through 6. When the case rate drops to 7 new cases per 100,000, schools would have the option of allowing in class instruction for students in grades 7 through 12."
Vaccinations are still being administered to healthcare workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, and people who are age 65 or older. Out of those vaccinated, 513,586 people have received second doses with almost 1,771,000 doses of the vaccine administered across the county. There is still a shortage of supply for the vaccine. The L.A. County Health Dept. received 1,831,075 doses of vaccine with the capacity for almost 500,000 appointment slots this week, but enough doses for 209,000 appointments. The goal is to continue to vaccinate workers and other residents in the current tier as more of the vaccine becomes available due to delays. On March 1, education and childcare, food and agriculture, and emergency services and first responders will be able to receive the vaccine.
As of Monday, February 22, the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health confirmed 21 new deaths and 943 new cases of COVID-19. There were 2,213 people with COVID-19 hospitalized with of 31% these people in the ICU.
Public Health identified 1,181,403 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 19,095 deaths. Across the Southland: within Los Angeles County shows 1,119,831 cases, within Long Beach with 50,800 cases and within Pasadena with 10,772. According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 1,920; Asian with 50,217; Black with 40,022; Hispanic/Latino with 542,631; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 4,114; White with 113,338; those of other race and ethnicity with 107,379 and 260,210 under investigation.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state is partnering with OptumServe and local counties to open up 11 vaccination sites to serve at-risk communities in the Central Valley, in addition to other steps to bolster vaccination efforts in the region.
“Farming communities like Arvin are a point of pride in California, and throughout the pandemic, have worked tirelessly to sustain families all across the state and this nation,” said Governor Newsom. “The efforts announced today will help us meet vulnerable and vital Central Valley communities where they are, helping our entire state combat this pandemic effectively, efficiently and equitably.”
For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/
For more detailed information on COVID-19 vaccination plans in L.A. County and to sign up for a vaccination newsletter, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com