LA County Reports 16 COVID-19 Deaths And 1,028 New Cases

LOS ANGELES, CA – As Los Angeles County continues to face COVID-19 related deaths and severe illness, health officials have released new data that shows how vaccinations can prevent death and hospitalization.

The LA County Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,028 new positive cases and 16 deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 3.71 million positive cases and 35,734 deaths since the pandemic began.

New data shows that county residents who were vaccinated – but had not received the most recent bivalent booster – were 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to those who had received the booster during the 30-day period ending Feb. 14.

Completely unvaccinated people during that time frame were five times more likely to be hospitalized compared to those who had received the bivalent booster, according to the county data.

Unvaccinated people were over six times more likely to die compared to those who received the bivalent shot. Those who had been previously vaccinated – but had not received the bivalent booster – were more than 1.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19, according to county data for the 30-day period ending Feb. 7.

The data release comes amid a new chapter in the pandemic response. As local, state and federal restrictions are being rolled back, LA County is focusing on ensuring access to testing, vaccinations and treatment.

“As we enter this new phase, residents of Los Angeles County are reminded that there is no change in their access to lifesaving tools. We will work with federal and state officials in the coming weeks and months to make sure this remains true. Vaccines, therapeutics and testing are the resources that got us to this place where there is less severe illness from COVID, and this is where we hope to stay,” county Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a release.

The state Department of Public Health on Friday announced several rollbacks of COVID-19 restrictions. Beginning April 3, masks will no longer be required in health care and other high-risk settings and health care workers will no longer be required by the state to be vaccinated (though a federal vaccine mandate for most of those workers still applies).

Beginning March 13, a COVID-19 positive person may end isolation after five days if they are fever-free, feeling well and have improving symptoms. Previous state guidance recommended up to 10 days of isolation unless a patient tested negative beginning on the fifth day of their illness.