LA County officials urge pediatric COVID shots ahead of holidays

Saying unvaccinated teens are 9 times much apt to beryllium infected with COVID-19, Los Angeles County wellness officials made different plea to parents connected Wednesday, Dec. 8, to get their children inoculated up of the vacation season.

According to the region Department of Public Health, COVID cases among school-aged children dropped by 30% betwixt precocious September and precocious November, but unvaccinated kids aged 12-17 were acold much apt to beryllium infected than their vaccinated counterparts.

During the last 2 weeks of November, 2 children betwixt 5 and 11 were hospitalized owed to COVID, on with 8 kids aged 12-17 — each of them unvaccinated, according to the county. The region had six confirmed cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome successful children, oregon MIS-C, successful October and 4 successful November.

Overall, however, the county’s COVID numbers among children stay low, contempt having much than 1.5 cardinal children attending in-person school.

“Although respective parts of the state are seeing ample waves of pediatric infections and hospitalizations, our acquisition successful L.A. County has been different, with transmission decreasing present implicit the past 2 months and comparatively debased numbers of pediatric hospitalizations,” region Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said successful a statement. “What we are continuing to spot is that unvaccinated children are the ones getting severely sick with COVID infections and ending up successful the hospital.

“Meanwhile, region schools stay a precise harmless spot — and successful fact, we deliberation it’s due to the fact that of the outstanding preventive enactment our schoolhouse partners are doing that we are seeing truthful small terrible unwellness successful children,” she said. “As we’re headed into the wintertime holidays and children walk much clip intermingling without schools’ protective layers of accordant mask-wearing and different power strategies, their hazard of corruption is going to increase. The champion mode to get children acceptable for the holidays is to get them vaccinated arsenic soon arsenic possible.”

The region reported different 15 COVID-19 deaths connected Wednesday, raising the wide decease toll from the microorganism to 27,275.

Another 1,772 caller cases were confirmed, giving the region a cumulative pandemic full of 1,540,200.

According to authorities figures, determination were 667 COVID-19-positive patients successful Los Angeles County hospitals arsenic of Wednesday, up from 650 connected Tuesday, continuing a gradual upward trend. The fig of those patients being treated successful intensive attraction was 151, up from 149 a time earlier.

The rolling mean regular complaint of radical investigating affirmative for the microorganism was 1.5% arsenic of Wednesday.

According to the astir caller figures, 83% of region residents aged 12 and implicit person received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 74% are afloat vaccinated. Of each eligible residents aged 5 and over, 76% person received astatine slightest 1 dose, and 68% are afloat vaccinated.

Black residents proceed to person the lowest complaint of vaccinated, with conscionable 55% having received astatine slightest 1 dose. The complaint is 60% among Latino/a residents, 73% among achromatic residents and 82% among Asians.

According to the latest region figures, of the much than 6.1 cardinal afloat vaccinated radical successful the county, 80,445 person tested positive, oregon astir 1.32%. A full of 2,680 vaccinated radical person been hospitalized, for a complaint of 0.044%, and 503 person died, for a complaint of 0.008%.