Briefs

COVID-19 Cases Increase Nearly 10 Times in One Month

LA County Jan. 17, is reporting 31,576 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 10 times the number of cases reported one month ago on Dec. 17 when Public Health reported 3,360 new cases. There are also 27 new deaths due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the holiday weekend.

There are 4,564 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, nearly six times the number from one month ago when 772 people were hospitalized. The daily positivity rate is 16.5%, more than eight times the two percent daily positivity rate on Dec. 17.

Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, made the following comment.

“Our hearts and prayers are with all those mourning the loss of their loved ones from COVID. On this national holiday where we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, we remember his deep commitment to health equity. As Reverend King memorably said, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.’ Tragically, we have seen this play out in real life and very clearly over the past two years with the disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color. From the onset of the pandemic, communities of color have experienced the greatest devastation from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County and throughout the nation. As we continue to implement strategies – enforcing worker protections through our Health Officer Orders, providing resources needed by many to survive the impact of the pandemic, funding community-based organizations in hard hit areas to serve as trusted public health messengers, and increasing vaccination access in under-sourced neighborhoods – we also need to come together to address the impact that racism, historical disinvestment, and social marginalization have on COVID-19 outcomes. While these conditions predate the pandemic, without deliberate collective actions to address the root causes of health inequities, we are unlikely to close the gaps we have documented for two long years.”

Public Health Jan. 17, released the latest data on COVID-19. The number of cases and deaths are likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend.