COVID-19 Hospitalizations Drop Under 600 in L.A. County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 40 new deaths and 839 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,221,605 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 23,274 deaths.

There are 596 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. This is similar to the number of daily hospitalizations seen early on in the pandemic in March of last year. The 3-day average for daily hospitalizations is 627.

Of the 40 new deaths reported today, eight people that passed away were over the age of 80, 20 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, three people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one person who died was between the ages of 18 and 29. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach.

Public Health continues tracking cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in L.A. County. To date, Public Health has identified 158 children with MIS-C in L.A. County including one child death. All 158 children with MIS-C in L.A. County were hospitalized and 40% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 26% were under the age of 5 years old, 43% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 31% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latino/Latinx children account for 73% of the reported cases.

MIS-C is a serious inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that affects children under 21 years old. Symptoms include fever that does not go away and inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If you believe your child is displaying MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care or an urgent care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you do not have a primary care provider, dial 2-1-1 and L.A. County will help connect you to one.

“To everyone mourning someone who has died from COVID-19, we are so sorry for your loss," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. "The declining number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is a very encouraging trend and reflects the significant decrease in community transmission we experienced a few weeks back. We will continue to make progress slowing transmission, preventing suffering, and saving lives when we all do our part to keep each other safe by following the rules and getting vaccinated when it is our turn. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, recently traveled out of state, were in crowds in close proximity to unmasked individuals, or attended large gatherings, please get tested. Don’t take a chance on spreading this virus to others.”

Testing results are available for more than 6,123,000 individuals with 19% of people testing positive. Today's daily test positivity rate is 1.3%.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanded to all residents 50 through 64 years old in addition to all other eligible groups. On April 15, vaccines become available to any resident in Los Angeles County who is 16 and older. While COVID-19 vaccine remains limited, as more doses come into L.A. County, the County is working to ensure that eligible residents and workers in hard hit communities have increased access to vaccines.

For information about who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in L.A. County, how to make an appointment if it is your turn, what verifications you will need to show at your vaccination appointment, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status.

County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.