Public Health Prepares to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine to Children Ages 5 to 11

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) prepares for administering COVID-19 vaccines to children 5 to 11 years old once the FDA and CDC recommends and approves Pfizer vaccines for children in this age group.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been more than 200,000 cases among children and teens in L.A. County. Over the week ending October 10, 12% of L.A. County cases were in children aged 5 to 11. Children in this age group comprise 9% of the county’s population. Since March of 2020, L.A. County has seen more than 79,000 cases among children aged 5 to 11, more than 37,000 cases in children under 5 and more than 89,000 cases in teens aged 12 to 17. The County has seen 632 hospitalizations in children under 5; 376 among children 5 to 11; and 740 among teens aged 12 to 17. The very low number of pediatric deaths seen in L.A. County – seven in total – have occurred during or shortly after case surges. Five of these deaths were in children aged 12 to 17, while one was under 5 and one was a child between the ages of 5 and 11.

In the next few days, the FDA will consider its committee’s advice and make a decision whether to issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old. Then, on November 2 and 3, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to meet and vote on their recommendation, and shortly thereafter, the CDC Director will make a recommendation on how to use the vaccine in children. Once this recommendation is issued, vaccine providers nationwide will implement the authorization which could happen as early as November 3.

There will be hundreds of providers in L.A. County ready to provide vaccines to children in this age group as soon as the CDC issues its recommendation. The County is positioned to have almost 150,000 pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine available next week. Parents and caregivers can also check with their children’s pediatrician to see if they will be administering COVID vaccines once there is final approval from the CDC.

Tonight, Thursday, October 28, at 6:00 p.m., Public Health will host a Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 vaccine. Join Public Health to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, boosters, vaccinating children 5-11, and more. The town hall will be streamed live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @lapublichealth. For more information and to submit a question, visit: tinyurl.com/LACVaxTownHall

Last week, there were 500 student cases and about 2,700 student close contacts. Among staff, we saw 80 cases and 120 close contacts. These numbers represent a 40% decline in school cases and a 43% decline in staff cases from the prior week. Given there are more than 1.7 million children and staff attending or working at over 3,000 schools countywide, these are strikingly low numbers. This amounts to a test positivity of 0.2% among students and staff testing positive, with 0.2% identified as close contacts.

While Public Health anticipates that the ability to vaccinate all school-aged children will provide the best protection, the continued efforts of school communities show that masking and other preventive measures, like testing, are also powerful tools for supporting safety at schools.

Today, Public Health confirms 20 new deaths and 1,887 new cases of COVID-19. The higher number of cases today likely reflects delays in reporting of about 500 positive tests from one or more labs over the past several days.

Of the 20 new deaths reported today, three people who passed away were over the age of 80, five 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.

To date, Public Health has identified 1,489,380 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,598 deaths. There are 649 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 28% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 9,021,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.2%.

Unvaccinated people continue to account for most cases and hospitalizations and are still 6 times more likely to get infected and 28 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people.

"We are deeply saddened by the continued loss of loved ones to the virus and send our wishes for peace and healing to the families and friends of those who have passed,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Given that there is still considerable transmission, along with the risk that changing conditions favor easier spread of COVID as more activities move indoors and more people travel and gather to celebrate holidays, it remains important for us to maintain additional layers of protection, including masking up indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces. This is also the time -- before the holidays, and before cooler weather leads to a rise in viral transmission -- for unvaccinated people to get their vaccines, and those eligible for boosters, to get their additional dose.”

While we need to do everything necessary to get those not yet vaccinated their first dose, it is also important that many vaccinated people at risk of severe illness from COVID get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible for this additional dose. Boosters serve as ‘reminder’ doses that refresh your immunity to COVID and are needed since studies have shown that the effectiveness of the COVID vaccines diminish a bit over time.

People eligible for boosters include adults of any age who received their first Johnson & Johnson dose at least two months ago, and people who got the second dose of their Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and are 65-plus years old or are over 18 and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work or live in high-risk settings.

This weekend is Halloween and residents of all ages are looking forward to celebrating the holiday. Fortunately, there are lots of safe ways to have a fun time when celebrating Halloween, including outdoor costume parties, pumpkin patch visits, outdoor ghost tours, hayrides, and trick-or-treating – when done safely. These options are all safer than doing things indoors, like haunted house tours, indoor costume parties, and spooky indoor performances.

When deciding what activities to take part in, it can be helpful to think about what makes an activity safe: the more participants who are vaccinated, the less likely an activity will result in viral transmission. Additionally, being outside adds safety, and you can further reduce risk by masking up when around people outside your household and avoiding crowded situations. Handing out individually packaged treats also makes transmission less likely. Taking a common sense approach to the holiday can limit risks while maximizing fun for everyone.

To find a vaccination site near you, make an appointment at vaccination sites, and much more, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) and www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). If you don’t have internet access, can’t use a computer, or you’re over 65, you can call 1-833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment, connecting to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or scheduling a home-visit if you are homebound.

COVID-19 Sector Protocols, Best Practices, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, 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.

Please see additional information below:

Total Cases Laboratory Confirmed Cases 1489380 -- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*1410808 -- Long Beach65073 -- Pasadena13499 Deaths26598 -- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)25198 -- Long Beach1037 -- Pasadena363 Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) - 0 to 437157 - 5 to 1179281 - 12 to 1789564 - 18 to 29334386 - 30 to 49468451 - 50 to 64260112 - 65 to 79103870 - over 8037147 - Under Investigation840 Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) - Female711114 - Male667325 - Other746 - Under Investigation31623 Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) - American Indian/Alaska Native2411 - Asian67424 - Black67844 - Hispanic/Latino727215 - Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander5201 - White174483 - Other119345 - Under Investigation246885 Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) - Hospitalized (Ever)105585 Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas) - American Indian/Alaska Native57 - Asian3294 - Black2219 - Hispanic/Latino13388 - Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander89 - White5926 - Other195 - Under Investigation30 CITY / COMMUNITY**CasesCase RateCity of Agoura Hills14637006City of Alhambra82569520City of Arcadia33925873City of Artesia244614564City of Avalon32827City of Azusa747914946City of Baldwin Park1470619156City of Bell758720882City of Bell Gardens910621142City of Bellflower1305416793City of Beverly Hills365310582City of Bradbury423929City of Burbank1129410537City of Calabasas17997396City of Carson1215012947City of Cerritos37867562City of Claremont28787888City of Commerce*271020736City of Compton1971619735City of Covina773615777City of Cudahy539522159City of Culver City29497397City of Diamond Bar40407024City of Downey2052317961City of Duarte277912623City of El Monte1916516343City of El Segundo10856464City of Gardena789312874City of Glendale2494612081City of Glendora599811368City of Hawaiian Gardens258117587City of Hawthorne1271614322City of Hermosa Beach15968114City of Hidden Hills1357143City of Huntington Park1244120915City of Industry19243936City of Inglewood1686314847City of Irwindale30620973City of La Canada Flintridge11125374City of La Habra Heights1312401City of La Mirada541710922City of La Puente752818498City of La Verne357310736City of Lakewood944411752City of Lancaster*2876917806City of Lawndale430312801City of Lomita19599451City of Lynwood*1500120821City of Malibu6785231City of Manhattan Beach21065850City of Maywood577420585City of Monrovia403610402City of Montebello1157317977City of Monterey Park56259034City of Norwalk1861617298City of Palmdale2993318830City of Palos Verdes Estates6815036City of Paramount1144220424City of Pico Rivera1261519624City of Pomona2938318844City of Rancho Palos Verdes21545039City of Redondo Beach41696069City of Rolling Hills844330City of Rolling Hills Estates4395411City of Rosemead561810150City of San Dimas*400711609City of San Fernando602324472City of San Gabriel36929015City of San Marino4753578City of Santa Clarita2738712425City of Santa Fe Springs340018514City of Santa Monica67437294City of Sierra Madre6515924City of Signal Hill147012461City of South El Monte385618463City of South Gate2124721646City of South Pasadena17306640City of Temple City27807626City of Torrance98036567City of Vernon14167464City of Walnut21557058City of West Covina1531714152City of West Hollywood36419854City of Westlake Village1531830City of Whittier1322315124Los Angeles60691015005Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie136616654Los Angeles - Alsace186314970Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest512500Los Angeles - Angelino Heights34813909Los Angeles - Arleta791423026Los Angeles - Atwater Village173011796Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills362211637Los Angeles - Bel Air5696751Los Angeles - Beverly Crest9017194Los Angeles - Beverlywood13109945Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*1936422287Los Angeles - Brentwood21636988Los Angeles - Brookside478090Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning87212245Los Angeles - Canoga Park1102516886Los Angeles - Carthay13109121Los Angeles - Central841421579Los Angeles - Century City8716809Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove728021560Los Angeles - Chatsworth466012574Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills6607197Los Angeles - Chinatown94811819Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran195313420Los Angeles - Country Club Park185212222Los Angeles - Crenshaw District186713501Los Angeles - Crestview132511656Los Angeles - Del Rey26959003Los Angeles - Downtown*539619617Los Angeles - Eagle Rock441911162Los Angeles - East Hollywood380412989Los Angeles - Echo Park168711834Los Angeles - El Sereno713417064Los Angeles - Elysian Park65711502Los Angeles - Elysian Valley149314679Los Angeles - Encino460910203Los Angeles - Exposition44713440Los Angeles - Exposition Park728216212Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights37510417Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square161618530Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone1056822274Los Angeles - Glassell Park406812872Los Angeles - Gramercy Place173216091Los Angeles - Granada Hills818514066Los Angeles - Green Meadows455121163Los Angeles - Hancock Park14378434Los Angeles - Harbor City323711135Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway597013693Los Angeles - Harbor Pines2249298Los Angeles - Harvard Heights287915963Los Angeles - Harvard Park836022038Los Angeles - Highland Park670813862Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown235917008Los Angeles - Hollywood772411317Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills23487977Los Angeles - Hyde Park469616454Los Angeles - Jefferson Park135416772Los Angeles - Koreatown638012342Los Angeles - Lafayette Square63413907Los Angeles - Lake Balboa655815538Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace267020330Los Angeles - Leimert Park207513620Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights581217830Los Angeles - Little Armenia133716660Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh324711456Los Angeles - Little Tokyo49115672Los Angeles - Longwood68215846Los Angeles - Los Feliz15327090Los Angeles - Manchester Square126214784Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon2046530Los Angeles - Mar Vista29246885Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula2385459Los Angeles - Melrose1012913037Los Angeles - Mid-city152710160Los Angeles - Miracle Mile14488051Los Angeles - Mission Hills507721045Los Angeles - Mt. Washington330313680Los Angeles - North Hills1085517629Los Angeles - North Hollywood2523116663Los Angeles - Northridge937413430Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades11755519Los Angeles - Pacoima1929025059Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands2115486Los Angeles - Palms34687904Los Angeles - Panorama City1527720302Los Angeles - Park La Brea9076679Los Angeles - Pico-Union787418818Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey1845757Los Angeles - Playa Vista8727966Los Angeles - Porter Ranch33399382Los Angeles - Rancho Park5217942Los Angeles - Regent Square32711763Los Angeles - Reseda1361917775Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch82617817Los Angeles - Reynier Village3448136Los Angeles - San Pedro*947712144Los Angeles - Shadow Hills51311549Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks82679475Los Angeles - Silverlake42379611Los Angeles - South Carthay10039467Los Angeles - South Park833421954Los Angeles - St Elmo Village78517125Los Angeles - Studio City19798819Los Angeles - Sun Valley1091620799Los Angeles - Sunland278113627Los Angeles - Sycamore Square507728Los Angeles - Sylmar*1870622702Los Angeles - Tarzana420113606Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry591814989Los Angeles - Thai Town114111632Los Angeles - Toluca Lake7588709Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace18514165Los Angeles - Toluca Woods1588504Los Angeles - Tujunga365713150Los Angeles - University Hills3249449Los Angeles - University Park419715286Los Angeles - Valley Glen468615612Los Angeles - Valley Village285311541Los Angeles - Van Nuys*1700018242Los Angeles - Venice27168015Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls340319785Los Angeles - Vermont Square174422777Los Angeles - Vermont Vista883821459Los Angeles - Vernon Central1233423720Los Angeles - Victoria Park120214311Los Angeles - View Heights2988067Los Angeles - Watts876120530Los Angeles - Wellington Square69114059Los Angeles - West Adams466016866Los Angeles - West Hills40059878Los Angeles - West Los Angeles33128800Los Angeles - West Vernon1160121626Los Angeles - Westchester36407054Los Angeles - Westlake881914858Los Angeles - Westwood37486927Los Angeles - Wholesale District*864323923Los Angeles - Wilmington991017544Los Angeles - Wilshire Center657213099Los Angeles - Winnetka806615576Los Angeles - Woodland Hills697010242Unincorporated - Acton7779748Unincorporated - Agua Dulce4149957Unincorporated - Altadena41059411Unincorporated - Anaverde17911870Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest393133Unincorporated - Arcadia7429297Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont770818161Unincorporated - Athens Village119624423Unincorporated - Avocado Heights128018893Unincorporated - Azusa273717189Unincorporated - Bassett291819694Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon716617Unincorporated - Bradbury5248148Unincorporated - Canyon Country117015140Unincorporated - Castaic*451316597Unincorporated - Cerritos7612947Unincorporated - Charter Oak00Unincorporated - Claremont527407Unincorporated - Covina276816458Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)186214166Unincorporated - Del Aire3948969Unincorporated - Del Rey4112893Unincorporated - Del Sur25110393Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands43717529Unincorporated - Duarte95421545Unincorporated - East Covina4714286Unincorporated - East La Mirada65012283Unincorporated - East Lancaster1916667Unincorporated - East Los Angeles2786622245Unincorporated - East Pasadena2423779Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez315220591Unincorporated - East Whittier58310988Unincorporated - El Camino Village99411307Unincorporated - El Monte2416552Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake1166984Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone1517323450Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon18333Unincorporated - Glendora8412727Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights610610918Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway00Unincorporated - Hawthorne35514121Unincorporated - Hi Vista605464Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons31021955Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose14767454Unincorporated - La Habra Heights162367Unincorporated - La Rambla33015904Unincorporated - La Verne*21010294Unincorporated - Ladera Heights5607920Unincorporated - Lake Hughes598832Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles192214791Unincorporated - Lake Manor18311138Unincorporated - Lakewood00Unincorporated - Lennox396017567Unincorporated - Leona Valley1548795Unincorporated - Littlerock64916140Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills14911488Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom62817596Unincorporated - Llano566385Unincorporated - Marina del Rey6857279Unincorporated - Miracle Mile00Unincorporated - Monrovia44711518Unincorporated - Newhall6931364Unincorporated - North Lancaster20016694Unincorporated - North Whittier129315467Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel19278017Unincorporated - Padua Hills146512Unincorporated - Palmdale12815202Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula325153Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano1799151Unincorporated - Pellissier Village19431341Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon51087Unincorporated - Pomona753870Unincorporated - Quartz Hill166812924Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez48018038Unincorporated - Roosevelt11212030Unincorporated - Rosewood19915474Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena19816597Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez60618030Unincorporated - Rowland Heights42298289Unincorporated - San Clemente Island00Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon202331Unincorporated - San Jose Hills392419406Unincorporated - San Pasqual442162Unincorporated - Sand Canyon247792Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island25294382Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*10275515Unincorporated - Saugus166107097Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country5114326Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley439451Unincorporated - South El Monte39822173Unincorporated - South San Gabriel107612161Unincorporated - South Whittier973416436Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley10713700Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch17578380Unincorporated - Sun Village108217926Unincorporated - Sunrise Village21116281Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain1368203Unincorporated - Val Verde43113025Unincorporated - Valencia2949570Unincorporated - Valinda432218493Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills10178741Unincorporated - Walnut Park338920994Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley684500Unincorporated - West Carson274512429Unincorporated - West Chatsworth433333Unincorporated - West LA21022059Unincorporated - West Puente Valley195219847Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez23417219Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos489918195Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills634846Unincorporated - Westhills677986Unincorporated - White Fence Farms37910291Unincorporated - Whittier3749884Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows54450000Unincorporated - Willowbrook795122774Unincorporated - Wiseburn64610718- Under Investigation17566

These numbers are subject to change based on further investigation. 9 cases previously reported were not in Public Health's jurisdiction.

*Means that case numbers include cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks located in the city/community.

**Rate is crude and is per 100,000. This represents the number of cases per 100,000 people and allows for the proportional comparison of cities of different sizes.

The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well -being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises of more than 5,000 employees and has an annual budget of $1.3 billion.