January 31, 2022
Today, Public Health confirmed 40 additional deaths and 10,715 new cases of COVID-19. Today’s number of cases and deaths reflect the weekend reporting delays. Of the 40 newly reported deaths, 26 had underlying conditions.
Today’s positivity rate is 8.8%. [editor’s note: this is exciting!]
There are 3,720 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized.
Businesses Continue to Comply with Public Health Measures During Surge
Public Health continues to see high compliance across many different business sectors with Health Officer Order masking requirements indicating support for reasonable measures that keep employees and customers safe during the pandemic.
With the proliferation of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, as of January 17, employers are also now required to provide employees who work indoors in close contact with others with well-fitting medical masks, surgical masks, or higher-level respirators, such as N95 or KN95 masks. These upgraded masks are better at blocking virus particles, providing additional protection to workers and customers.
Between January 21-27, Public Health conducted more than 1,400 site inspections to assess mask and vaccination compliance across a variety of L.A County businesses. Compliance was near or above 90% among restaurants, bars, night clubs, lounges, breweries, food markets, hotels, and food manufacturing plants for customer wearing masks, employees wearing upgraded masks, and vaccination verification when applicable. Compliance for customer and employee mask wearing was around 80% in gyms, and compliance for employee mask wearing at garment manufacturers was 74%.
“While we have seen that at some large events where everyone is vaccinated or has a negative test result, like Sunday’s NFC championship game, many were observed not wearing masks, low-compliance in particular settings with a critical safety measure, is not a sufficient reason to end the requirement. That would be like eliminating speed limits because so many drivers ignore them and feel that they can assess for themselves the safe speed for their travel. At some point soon, transmission will be significantly lower, and we will not need to wear our masks everywhere; unfortunately, we aren’t there yet. And in order to get there as quickly as possible, we should all make our best efforts to layer in sensible protections that keep us, and those around us, safe.” – Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health
Public Health is reminding residents to avoid visiting the emergency room unless they need emergency medical care. Residents should not be visiting the emergency department solely to get a COVID test or for minor complaints that could be resolved through their primary care physician. Emergency room visits should be reserved for those patients who are feeling severely ill – for example, those who are short of breath – or who have serious concerns about their health and who require immediate emergency care.
To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:
* Get tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had a possible exposure, or have symptoms, or are gathering with people not in your household
* Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status
Residents are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive COVID test result. Also, their vaccinated close contacts with symptoms, and unvaccinated close contacts, need to quarantine.
For updated isolation and quarantine guidance, please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and third doses are available.
To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit:
www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).
If you need assistance, you can also call 1-833-540-0473, seven days a week, from 8 AM to 830 PM for help:
Finding an appointment
Connect to free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or
Schedule a home visit if you are homebound.
For more information regarding COVID-19 in LA County you can also visit the Public Health website at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov here you will find information on:
COVID-19 sector protocols & best practices,
COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboards, and
COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive and, Recovery Dashboards