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The alarming spike in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County continued on Saturday, July 10, as authorities reported 1,094 new cases of COVID-19 and eight more deaths.
The number of people hospitalized in Los Angeles County with the virus is also rising steadily, from 336 Friday to 373, according to state figures. There were 79 people in intensive care on Saturday, up from 83 the day before.
Local health officials also said on Saturday that transmission of COVID-19 was increasing among younger, unvaccinated county residents. Of the 1,094 new cases reported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 83% are in people under the age of 50 with the highest number of new cases among residents aged 18 to 49, with 70 % of new cases.
“As cases increase, the urgency to vaccinate more people increases. Almost 100% of new cases occur among those who are not fully immunized, â€said county public health director Barbara Ferrer. “All of our COVID-19 vaccines are very effective in protecting you from serious illnesses of COVID-19 and variants of concern like the Delta variant. We remain focused on providing equitable high-quality vaccines and health information to all of our LA County communities, with a special focus on communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic. “
The “Delta” variant is believed to be responsible for massive infections in India and epidemics in the UK and beyond. Federal officials have said the variant is also believed to be responsible for the majority of new infections reported in the United States – the vast majority of them among unvaccinated residents.
Saturday’s figures brought the county’s total to 1,256,515 cases and 24,538 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The positivity rate for daily tests was 2.4%. The seven-day moving average rate of people testing positive for the virus on Friday was 2.4%, down slightly from the 2.5% reported on Thursday, but higher than the 1.5% rate of yesterday. one week and 0.3% from mid-June.
The rising number of cases continues to affect black residents of the county at a much higher rate than other ethnic groups, correlating with significantly lagging vaccination rates in the black community. Ferrer said that from late May to late June, the rate of new infections among black residents fell from 38 per 100,000 residents to 65 per 100,000.
All other ethnic groups experienced increases during this period, but at a much lower rate. At the end of June, the hospitalization rate among black residents was 9.3 per 100,000 residents, compared to 2.7 for white residents and 5.4 for Latino residents.
Combining the large number of unvaccinated residents with the lifting of COVID health restrictions on gatherings and indoor capacity, Ferrer said there was much more possibility for these residents to become infected.
She said unvaccinated people should adhere to infection control measures, such as wearing masks indoors and practicing good hygiene. But she said getting the vaccine is clearly the most effective way to prevent infection.
Among county residents aged 16 and over, 69% have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 60% are fully immunized. The rate among black residents, however, is only 45% with at least one dose, compared to 54% for Latino residents, 65% for white residents and 76% for Asians. Vaccination rates continue to be particularly low among young black residents, with just 28% of those aged 18 to 29 vaccinated.
Hoping to encourage more people to get vaccinated, the county continues to offer incentives. From Friday to next Thursday, anyone who gets vaccinated at sites operated by the County, City of Los Angeles or the Well Child and Family Center in St. John’s will be entered for a chance to win one of seven prizes. concert tickets, including Hollywood Bowl seats and tickets to Staples Center concerts including Celine Dion, Grupo Firma, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Dan + Shay.
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