LA County tops 15 million COVID vaccine doses, but push more to get shots

Los Angeles County wellness officials marked a important milestone connected Monday, Dec. 13, announcing that much than 15 cardinal doses of COVID-19 vaccine person been administered successful the county, but they said much needs to beryllium done to scope radical inactive resistant to the shots.

As of past Thursday, much than 15.2 cardinal doses of vaccine person been administered successful the county, a fig that roseate dramatically successful caller weeks acknowledgment to the expanded availability of booster doses.

“The transportation of 15 cardinal vaccines required a web of hundreds of providers consenting to widen their services to service residents crossed each assemblage successful the county,” region Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said successful a statement. “While we are arrogant of the enactment collectively done to administer 15 cardinal vaccines successful L.A. County, it is wide that we volition request to proceed to enactment vaccination efforts for months to travel arsenic we effort to scope those inactive unvaccinated, those who request boosters, and those that are recently eligible.

“We person besides learned that this web is not conscionable focused connected ensuring access, rather, this web needs to prosecute successful outreach, supply culturally respectful information, and link residents to further needed supports.”

According to the county, determination are inactive astir 3.4 cardinal radical presently eligible for a booster changeable who person not yet received one, and 2.2 cardinal radical aged 5 and implicit who person not yet received their archetypal dose.

The quality came connected a time the authorities announced a 47% summation successful COVID infections rates statewide successful the weeks since Thanksgiving — prompting the implementation of a statewide indoor mask-wearing mandate, mirroring the 1 that has remained successful spot successful Los Angeles County.

The upward trends affecting the authorities person been noticeable successful L.A. County, with Ferrer past week saying the rising numbers are indicative of a post-Thanksgiving spike that could pb to a feared wintertime surge successful infections.

She said that connected Dec. 1, the county’s seven-day mean regular fig of caller cases topped 1,000 — a 19% summation from the erstwhile week.

The county’s mean regular complaint of caller infections roseate to 13 per 100,000 residents successful aboriginal December, up from 8 per 100,000 residents the erstwhile week. The seven-day cumulative complaint of infections roseate to 113 per 100,000, moving the region backmost into the class of “high” transmission arsenic defined by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The region was antecedently successful the less-severe “substantial” transmission category. That class requires a region to person a cumulative seven-day transmission complaint of little than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.

On Monday, the region reported different 11 COVID-19 deaths, lifting its wide virus-related decease toll to 27,341.

Another 1,123 cases were besides reported, for a cumulative pandemic full of 1,540,200.

According to authorities figures, determination were 718 radical hospitalized with COVID successful the region arsenic of Monday, up from 698 connected Sunday. Of those patients, 190 were being treated successful intensive care, up from 179 connected Sunday.

So far, the region has confirmed a full of 7 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, portion Long Beach — which has its ain wellness section — has confirmed one.

The Omicron variant has been deemed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, it remains unclear if the variant is much easy transmitted oregon tin origin much terrible illness. The antecedently identified Delta variant — blamed for the astir caller surge successful cases nationwide — remains the ascendant mutation successful circulation, representing much than 99% of each COVID specimens that person undergone familial investigating successful the county, Ferrer said this week.

According to the astir caller figures, 83% of region residents aged 12 and implicit person received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 75% are afloat vaccinated. Of each eligible residents aged 5 and over, 77% person received astatine slightest 1 dose, and 69% are afloat vaccinated.

Of the much than 6.15 cardinal afloat vaccinated radical successful the county, 84,931 person tested positive, oregon astir 1.38%. A full of 2,798 vaccinated radical person been hospitalized, for a complaint of 0.046%, and 537 person died, for a complaint of 0.009%.