COVID hospitals tick up in LA County – Blackboardlists
The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals has jumped 23 people to 373, not counting the recent trend that has seen the total drop from more than 4,800 in mid-January, according to the latest state data as of Saturday, March 26.
The number of those patients in intensive care was 56, three less than Friday’s total.
The latest numbers came as the county reported 789 new positive COVID tests and 22 additional deaths related to the virus, bringing the county’s cumulative totals to 2,830,048 cases and 31,594 deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. .
The health department has said that the vast majority of people who die from COVID complications have underlying conditions, primarily hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.
The moving average daily rate of people who tested positive for the virus was 0.7% on Saturday, about the same as the past two weeks.
On Thursday, the department reported an increase in COVID infections attributed to the BA.2, an offshoot of the Omicron variant that sparked a winter spate of cases and hospitalizations.
According to the county, the BA.2 subvariant accounted for 14.7% of all specially sequenced cases as of the week ending March 5 — more than double the rate from the previous week’s 6.4%. Experts have suggested that BA.2 is at least 30% more contagious than the Omicron variant, which was already spread significantly more easily than the original COVID-19 virus.
“As the province sees more and more cases of the more contagious BA.2 subvariant, everyone, especially those at risk or housebound, should be fully vaccinated and encouraged, and Public Health thanks our partners who are working to increase access to these.” life-saving vaccines for these at-risk residents,” Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, said in a statement Friday.
County officials said they are expanding mobile vaccination efforts to reach homebound residents or others who cannot reach a vaccine clinic or pharmacy on their own. According to the province, about 9,960 residents deemed house-bound in the province were vaccinated in the past year. In total there are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 house-bound residents in the province.
Information on obtaining mobile vaccination service is available by calling 833-540-0473. Information is also available at vaccinatelacounty.com.
According to the county, as of Sunday, 83% of eligible county residents ages 5 and older had received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and 75% were fully vaccinated. However, only 30% of children aged 5-11 are fully vaccinated, the lowest percentage of all age groups.
Only 55.4% of black residents are fully vaccinated, along with 58.9% of Latina residents, compared to 73% of white residents and 82% of Asians.