More People Enter ICU Amid Ongoing Strain Due to Increased Healthcare Worker Positive Cases

With the Omicron variant continuing to spread at a rapid pace, Public Health data shows more residents are requiring treatment for severe illness in the ICU.

As of Jan. 17, both the 7-day average of new admissions of people with COVID-19 and the total number of patients admitted into the ICU had increased from a week prior.  New daily admissions increased by 9.5% to a total of 644 patients, up from 588 patients the week of Jan. 11. Additionally, 31% of COVID confirmed patients were in the ICU, and 27% were requiring ventilation, which was also an increase from the week of Jan. 11 when Public Health reported 25% of COVID confirmed patients were in ICU, and 20% were requiring ventilation.     

Cases among healthcare workers are also increasing, leading to staffing shortages across the healthcare system.  Between Jan. 7 and Jan. 13, Public Health reported a total of 1,268 new positive cases among healthcare workers; this is an increase of 30% from the week of Dec. 31, when 973 positive cases were reported. 

With Omicron leading to increasing hospitalizations and ICU admissions, vaccines continue to provide the best protection against severe illness.  Between Dec. 30, 2021, and Jan. 12, 2022, the ICU rate ratio was 6.4 when comparing those unvaccinated vs those fully vaccinated without boosters, meaning unvaccinated people were 6 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU compared to those fully vaccinated without boosters. Residents who are vaccinated and boosted have even more protection, as they are 25 times less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those unvaccinated.  

Public Health has identified a total 2,311,568 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 16.3%. 

There are 4,701 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,695,800 individuals, with 20% of people testing positive.   

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to: 

• Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
• Remain home when sick, isolate if positive and quarantine when in close contact.

Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result and vaccinated.  Close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated close contacts need to be quarantined. 

For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov 

To find a vaccination site or to make an appointment, visit: 

www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).  

Or call 1-833-540-0473.