High Compliance with Masking Requirements Keeps L.A. County Residents Safe and Healthy; CDC recommends mRNA vaccines over Johnson and Johnson - Public Health is Reporting 3,360 New Cases, 8 New Omicron Cases and 27 New Deaths of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Public Health data suggests that public mask wearing is one of the most effective strategies at reducing the spread of the virus when compliance is high.

In L.A. County schools, where mask wearing is mandatory indoors, this practice (in combination with other mitigation strategies and outbreak management) has kept transmission low. This protective effect was demonstrable even in elementary schools before 5-11 year old were eligible for vaccines. With more than 1.55 million students across 3,000 L.A. County schools, Public Health is routinely seeing less than a dozen outbreaks each week.

Public and business sector masking compliance is high, indicating the broad understanding that this small behavior change adds a layer of protection that enables us to engage in our customary activities without endangering ourselves or others. Public Health regularly conducts site visits to assess mask compliance across a variety of L.A. County businesses, during which we determine compliance among customers, employees and their staff, and overall safety requirements. Out of more than 1500 site visits conducted between December 4th-10th, the vast majority of businesses and industries, including restaurants, bars, food markets and hair salons, had masking compliance rates above 95%.

Public Health notes yesterday’s endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control of updated recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the prevention of COVID-19, expressing clinical preference for adults 18+ to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. As of December 12^th, over 530,000 residents in L.A. County have received a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine. We remind residents that L.A. County’s supply of mRNA vaccines is abundant and that when it is time to get a booster dose, individuals previously vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should consider boosters with Pfizer or Moderna.

“Masking requirements reduce transmission without much disruption to people’s routines and allow businesses to reduce risk for their customers, and workers,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the business community of L.A. County for leading by example on masking as champions for public health. The take home message is clear: masking creates safety for employees and customers, reduces COVID transmission in our communities and helps everyone stay safe here in L.A. County.”

Ferrer continued, “We appreciate the CDC’s guidance on vaccine choice. While any vaccine is better than no vaccine, we urge those who have received Johnson and Johnson vaccines to obtain booster doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to ensure they are well protected from both suffering severe Covid outcomes and transmitting infection to others.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 27 additional deaths and 3,360 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 27 new deaths reported today, two people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49, four were between the ages of 50 and 64, eight were between the ages of 65-79 and twelve were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 27 newly reported deaths, 22 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 27,413. Information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach is available at: www.LongBeach.gov

Of the 8 new Omicron cases, five people were fully vaccinated and one received a booster. One person reported international travel and one person reported domestic travel.

Public Health has identified a total 1,556,685 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.6%.

There are 772 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 9,720,000 individuals, with 15% of people testing positive.

Public Health would like to remind residents that getting vaccinated or boosted remains critical as holiday traveling and gatherings begin. Additionally, all residents across L.A. County should continue:

· Getting 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.

· Adhering to masking requirements when indoors or at large outdoor mega events, regardless of vaccination status.

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

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 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

Please see additional information below:

Cases through 6:00pm 12/16/2021
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	1556685
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	1474336
-- Long Beach	68198
-- Pasadena	14151
Deaths	27413
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	25983
-- Long Beach	1062
-- Pasadena	368
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	39401
- 5 to 11	87007
- 12 to 17	94781
- 18 to 29	347378
- 30 to 49	489446
- 50 to 64	269637
- 65 to 79	107512
- over 80	38276
- Under Investigation	898
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	741908
- Male	696977
- Other	778
- Under Investigation	34673
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	2545
- Asian	71291
- Black	72337
- Hispanic/Latino	752916
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	5424
- White	188965
- Other	125419
- Under Investigation	255439
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	109805
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	59
- Asian	3368
- Black	2314
- Hispanic/Latino	13754
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	95
- White	6166
- Other	196
- Under Investigation	31
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases
City of Agoura Hills	1604
City of Alhambra	8638
City of Arcadia	3617
City of Artesia	2527
City of Avalon	35
City of Azusa	7795
City of Baldwin Park	15081
City of Bell	7828
City of Bell Gardens	9263
City of Bellflower	13546
City of Beverly Hills	3937
City of Bradbury	42
City of Burbank	11970
City of Calabasas	1939
City of Carson	12722
City of Cerritos	4031
City of Claremont	3105
City of Commerce*	2778
City of Compton	20294
City of Covina	8173
City of Cudahy	5541
City of Culver City	3185
City of Diamond Bar	4254
City of Downey	21327
City of Duarte	2884
City of El Monte	19708
City of El Segundo	1188
City of Gardena	8300
City of Glendale	26263
City of Glendora	6375
City of Hawaiian Gardens	2651
City of Hawthorne	13157
City of Hermosa Beach	1703
City of Hidden Hills	149
City of Huntington Park	12790
City of Industry	199
City of Inglewood	17440
City of Irwindale	318
City of La Canada Flintridge	1214
City of La Habra Heights	131
City of La Mirada	5690
City of La Puente	7779
City of La Verne	3846
City of Lakewood	9988
City of Lancaster*	30964
City of Lawndale	4462
City of Lomita	2073
City of Lynwood*	15473
City of Malibu	780
City of Manhattan Beach	2296
City of Maywood	5963
City of Monrovia	4233
City of Montebello	11954
City of Monterey Park	5827
City of Norwalk	19245
City of Palmdale	31856
City of Palos Verdes Estates	735
City of Paramount	11776
City of Pico Rivera	13047
City of Pomona	30695
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	2305
City of Redondo Beach	4504
City of Rolling Hills	93
City of Rolling Hills Estates	471
City of Rosemead	5803
City of San Dimas*	4223
City of San Fernando	6220
City of San Gabriel	3876
City of San Marino	517
City of Santa Clarita	29459
City of Santa Fe Springs	3514
City of Santa Monica	7433
City of Sierra Madre	720
City of Signal Hill	1543
City of South El Monte	3948
City of South Gate	21993
City of South Pasadena	1833
City of Temple City	2899
City of Torrance	10487
City of Vernon	143
City of Walnut	2268
City of West Covina	15985
City of West Hollywood	4007
City of Westlake Village	162
City of Whittier	13720
Los Angeles	633057
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	1424
Los Angeles - Alsace	1922
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	5
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	366
Los Angeles - Arleta	8111
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	1833
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	3770
Los Angeles - Bel Air	657
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	1008
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	1424
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	19783
Los Angeles - Brentwood	2363
Los Angeles - Brookside	52
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	910
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	11454
Los Angeles - Carthay	1424
Los Angeles - Central	8585
Los Angeles - Century City	921
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	7527
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	4919
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	704
Los Angeles - Chinatown	986
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	2039
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	1924
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	1944
Los Angeles - Crestview	1436
Los Angeles - Del Rey	2896
Los Angeles - Downtown*	5736
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	4613
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	3947
Los Angeles - Echo Park	1771
Los Angeles - El Sereno	7411
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	690
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	1541
Los Angeles - Encino	4963
Los Angeles - Exposition	467
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	7585
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	396
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	1673
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	10857
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	4232
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	1814
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	8569
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	4666
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	1549
Los Angeles - Harbor City	3411
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	6268
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	231
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	2949
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	8607
Los Angeles - Highland Park	6954
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	2421
Los Angeles - Hollywood	8213
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	2578
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	4889
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	1398
Los Angeles - Koreatown	6567
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	653
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	6817
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	2746
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	2178
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	5967
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	1387
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	3359
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	537
Los Angeles - Longwood	712
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	1699
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	1303
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	222
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	3182
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	268
Los Angeles - Melrose	10699
Los Angeles - Mid-city	1621
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	1586
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	5302
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	3427
Los Angeles - North Hills	11180
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	26294
Los Angeles - Northridge	9865
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	1298
Los Angeles - Pacoima	19748
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	228
Los Angeles - Palms	3697
Los Angeles - Panorama City	15678
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	979
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	8044
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	200
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	974
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	3532
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	574
Los Angeles - Regent Square	344
Los Angeles - Reseda	14169
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	849
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	363
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	9944
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	540
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	8963
Los Angeles - Silverlake	4514
Los Angeles - South Carthay	1083
Los Angeles - South Park	8580
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	801
Los Angeles - Studio City	2184
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	11243
Los Angeles - Sunland	2944
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	58
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	19393
Los Angeles - Tarzana	4454
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	6116
Los Angeles - Thai Town	1184
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	826
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	199
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	177
Los Angeles - Tujunga	3833
Los Angeles - University Hills	348
Los Angeles - University Park	4442
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	4897
Los Angeles - Valley Village	3041
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	17471
Los Angeles - Venice	3057
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	3504
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	1783
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	9092
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	12591
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	1233
Los Angeles - View Heights	317
Los Angeles - Watts	9052
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	721
Los Angeles - West Adams	4794
Los Angeles - West Hills	4330
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	3583
Los Angeles - West Vernon	11875
Los Angeles - Westchester	3919
Los Angeles - Westlake	9068
Los Angeles - Westwood	4101
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	9331
Los Angeles - Wilmington	10301
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	6781
Los Angeles - Winnetka	8376
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	7449
Unincorporated - Acton	865
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	450
Unincorporated - Altadena	4345
Unincorporated - Anaverde	194
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	44
Unincorporated - Arcadia	773
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	7979
Unincorporated - Athens Village	1236
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	1311
Unincorporated - Azusa	2877
Unincorporated - Bassett	2995
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	86
Unincorporated - Bradbury	52
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	1258
Unincorporated - Castaic*	4710
Unincorporated - Cerritos	80
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	0
Unincorporated - Claremont	57
Unincorporated - Covina	2885
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	1946
Unincorporated - Del Aire	422
Unincorporated - Del Rey	41
Unincorporated - Del Sur	283
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	463
Unincorporated - Duarte	969
Unincorporated - East Covina	47
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	684
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	19
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	28600
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	248
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	3238
Unincorporated - East Whittier	627
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	1030
Unincorporated - El Monte	24
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	128
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	15520
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	1
Unincorporated - Glendora	90
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	6343
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	0
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	363
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	80
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	324
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	1545
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	16
Unincorporated - La Rambla	341
Unincorporated - La Verne*	226
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	608
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	77
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	2037
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	192
Unincorporated - Lakewood	0
Unincorporated - Lennox	4062
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	182
Unincorporated - Littlerock	701
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	176
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	648
Unincorporated - Llano	62
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	779
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	472
Unincorporated - Newhall	70
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	218
Unincorporated - North Whittier	1348
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	1998
Unincorporated - Padua Hills	14
Unincorporated - Palmdale	142
Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula	35
Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano	196
Unincorporated - Pellissier Village	198
Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon	5
Unincorporated - Pomona	82
Unincorporated - Quartz Hill	1887
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	497
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	116
Unincorporated - Rosewood	205
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	201
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	635
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	4423
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	23
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	4013
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	44
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	24
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	258
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	1167
Unincorporated - Saugus	190
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	55
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	50
Unincorporated - South El Monte	413
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	1124
Unincorporated - South Whittier	10061
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	114
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	1927
Unincorporated - Sun Village	1142
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	218
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	147
Unincorporated - Val Verde	460
Unincorporated - Valencia	327
Unincorporated - Valinda	4483
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	1079
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	3487
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	78
Unincorporated - West Carson	2893
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	4
Unincorporated - West LA	219
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	2026
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	239
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	5056
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	71
Unincorporated - Westhills	72
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	434
Unincorporated - Whittier	389
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	55
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	8243
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	670
- Under Investigation	18963

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