Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics is Key to Mitigating COVID-19 Impact Among Underserved Communities - 2,169 New Positive Cases Reported on Sunday, 664 New Positive Cases Reported Today, and 67 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County Reported for Sunday and Today

As L.A. County continues to slow community transmission of COVID-19, and access to effective therapeutics improves, equitable distribution of COVID-19 treatments is a critical issue. As supply of these medicines increases, we need to be sure that information and access about therapeutics is available across the county, particularly in those communities with residents at elevated risk of poor outcomes should they become infected with COVID.

Several free treatment options are available and can be used to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. Treatments are available for those who are at increased risk of severe disease, test positive for COVID-19, and have any symptoms, even mild ones (such as runny nose or cough). Five therapeutic options have been authorized by the FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 in individuals ages 12 and over who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness:

Oral Therapeutics (Pills)
Paxlovid (must be taken within 5 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
Molnupiravir (must be taken within 5 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
**Oral therapeutic treatments require a prescription from a healthcare provider.

Monoclonal Antibody Intravenous (IV) and Antiviral Infusions
Sotrovimab (must be administered within 7 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
Remdesivir (must be given within 7 days of first COVID-19 symptom)
Evusheld available for people who can’t get a COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons, or who may not respond well to a vaccine because they have a weak immune system due to a medical condition or treatment. (must be administered before a person is exposed to COVID-19 to prevent them from getting infected) Due to FDA revisions of EUA, those who received Evusheld prior to 2/24/22 should speak to their health care provider about a catch-up dose.

For the week of February 25, L.A. County received 3,880 doses of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral treatment, that was distributed to providers, pharmacies, and clinics; this is a 38% increase from the allocation of the prior week. Overall, the county has been allotted a total of 14,740 doses of Paxlovid since the medication was first approved by the FDA to treat high-risk patients for COVID-19.

For the week February 25, L.A. County also received 4,392 doses of Molnupiravir, Merck's oral treatment, a 110% increase from the amount sent the prior week. Since its FDA approval, the county has been allocated over 36,700 doses that have been distributed to county providers, pharmacies, and clinics.

The county also was allocated 336 doses of Evusheld; this is an increase of 367% from the allocation the previous week.

In total, more than 60,000 doses of these three COVID-19 therapeutics have been distributed across LA County since they first became available in December.

Residents who would like to access these medicines or have questions on which treatment is right for them should contact their medical provider or call the COVID-19 information line at 833-540-0473, 8:00 am - 8:30 pm daily. The call center is a free resource where residents can get culturally and linguistically appropriate information about available therapeutics, and how to access them.

Because providers need to be registered in a federal management platform to receive these medications, Public Health is working to enroll enough providers to ensure a vast network of sites that can provide information, have a supply of therapeutics, and prescribing ability across the county, with emphasis on ensuring equitable distribution among hard hit and low-resourced communities.

As Public Health continues to build out the network of providers, a pilot will be launched using telehealth platforms at select sites to augment locations that can prescribe and distribute oral therapeutics in low resource communities.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to those families who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “With the availability of these new powerful tools, we now have another strong layer of protection to help us mitigate the worst outcomes of COVID-19. These therapeutics, including COVID pills and infusions, are potentially lifesaving for residents at increased risk of disease, but they need to be administered quickly. Residents who are considered high risk or those who have recently tested positive should contact their provider as soon as possible to get information on whether to consider a treatment that prevents severe illness should they become infected. As we continue makes these therapeutics widely available, we want to thank our partners for the great work they’ve done to distribute these medicines to those with elevated risk.”

Today, Public Health confirmed 67 additional deaths and 2,169 cases on Sunday and 664 new cases are being reported today. The higher number of cases and deaths reflect delays in reporting from the weekend. Of the 67 new deaths reported for Sunday and today, one person was between the ages of 18-29, seven were between the ages of 30-49, 12 were between the ages of 50-64, 25 were between the ages of 65-79, and 22 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 67 newly reported deaths, 55 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 30,716.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,796,560 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.1%.

There are 916 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,427,600 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)
Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths
Recovery Metrics
Contract Tracing Metrics
Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics
Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance
Outbreaks:

Residential Congregate Sessions
Non-Residential Settings
Homeless Service Settings

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
California Department of Public Health:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Please see additional information below:

Cases through 12:00pm 02/27/2022
	Total Cases	NEW
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,796,560	2833
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,644,753	2827
-- Long Beach	124,146	0
-- Pasadena	27,661	6
Deaths	30,716	67
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	29,107	67
-- Long Beach	1,211	0
-- Pasadena	398	0
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	81249
- 5 to 11	235566
- 12 to 17	230046
- 18 to 29	589440
- 30 to 49	843208
- 50 to 64	437682
- 65 to 79	169546
- over 80	55145
- Under Investigation	2871
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1344311
- Male	1225605
- Other	975
- Under Investigation	73862
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	4876
- Asian	160763
- Black	132553
- Hispanic/Latino	1214587
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13567
- White	337284
- Other	289911
- Under Investigation	491212
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	133478	**DATA Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	69
- Asian	3649
- Black	2676
- Hispanic/Latino	15049
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	104
- White	7180
- Other	296
- Under Investigation	84
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	4028	19288
City of Alhambra	16399	18909
City of Arcadia	7823	13545
City of Artesia	4074	24257
City of Avalon	62	1602
City of Azusa	13554	27086
City of Baldwin Park	22603	29443
City of Bell	13637	37534
City of Bell Gardens	13989	32479
City of Bellflower	22973	29553
City of Beverly Hills	8109	23491
City of Bradbury	64	5987
City of Burbank	21798	20338
City of Calabasas	3826	15730
City of Carson	25040	26682
City of Cerritos	8196	16370
City of Claremont	6003	16454
City of Commerce*	4460	34127
City of Compton	32662	32693
City of Covina	14501	29575
City of Cudahy	9841	40420
City of Culver City	7212	18091
City of Diamond Bar	8920	15509
City of Downey	35425	31003
City of Duarte	5078	23065
City of El Monte	32393	27623
City of El Segundo	2733	16281
City of Gardena	15995	26089
City of Glendale	43702	21164
City of Glendora	11574	21935
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4103	27957
City of Hawthorne	22247	25057
City of Hermosa Beach	3205	16294
City of Hidden Hills	252	13333
City of Huntington Park	21716	36507
City of Industry	370	84668
City of Inglewood	28895	25440
City of Irwindale	535	36669
City of La Canada Flintridge	2785	13459
City of La Habra Heights	161	2951
City of La Mirada	10271	20708
City of La Puente	12538	30808
City of La Verne	6942	20858
City of Lakewood	18647	23204
City of Lancaster*	50099	31008
City of Lawndale	7969	23707
City of Lomita	4202	20271
City of Lynwood*	24302	33731
City of Malibu	2026	15632
City of Manhattan Beach	4802	13339
City of Maywood	10305	36739
City of Monrovia	8109	20899
City of Montebello	18988	29496
City of Monterey Park	11147	17903
City of Norwalk	32794	30471
City of Palmdale	52450	32994
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1468	10856
City of Paramount	18513	33045
City of Pico Rivera	20720	32232
City of Pomona	50626	32467
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	4751	11114
City of Redondo Beach	9710	14135
City of Rolling Hills	182	9381
City of Rolling Hills Estates	959	11821
City of Rosemead	10450	18880
City of San Dimas*	7903	22897
City of San Fernando	10349	42049
City of San Gabriel	7242	17683
City of San Marino	1372	10334
City of Santa Clarita	53294	24178
City of Santa Fe Springs	6253	34050
City of Santa Monica	16463	17808
City of Sierra Madre	1488	13541
City of Signal Hill	2798	23718
City of South El Monte	6488	31065
City of South Gate	37794	38504
City of South Pasadena	3894	14946
City of Temple City	6049	16593
City of Torrance	22246	14903
City of Vernon	305	145933
City of Walnut	4721	15462
City of West Covina	28866	26670
City of West Hollywood	7735	20933
City of Westlake Village	269	3218
City of Whittier	23012	26320
Los Angeles	1151317	28465
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2545	31029
Los Angeles - Alsace	3489	28035
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	616	24620
Los Angeles - Arleta	13535	39380
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	3457	23572
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	7311	23489
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1429	16953
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2281	18212
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	2938	22303
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	32847	37806
Los Angeles - Brentwood	5322	17193
Los Angeles - Brookside	93	16007
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1801	25291
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	19872	30437
Los Angeles - Carthay	2802	19508
Los Angeles - Central	14736	37792
Los Angeles - Century City	2251	17597
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	13355	39552
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	9170	24743
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1577	17196
Los Angeles - Chinatown	1939	24174
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	3967	27259
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	3551	23434
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	3887	28108
Los Angeles - Crestview	2780	24455
Los Angeles - Del Rey	5827	19465
Los Angeles - Downtown*	11467	41688
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	8842	22334
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	7146	24400
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3244	22755
Los Angeles - El Sereno	13080	31286
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1342	23494
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2671	26261
Los Angeles - Encino	10016	22173
Los Angeles - Exposition	957	28773
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	14043	31264
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	863	23972
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	2989	34274
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	19249	40571
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	7826	24763
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3145	29218
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	15754	27073
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	8423	39168
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	3246	19050
Los Angeles - Harbor City	6891	23705
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	11970	27454
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	452	18763
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5018	27824
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	14763	38917
Los Angeles - Highland Park	12658	26158
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4193	30231
Los Angeles - Hollywood	15529	22752
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	5046	17143
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	9087	31838
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2434	30150
Los Angeles - Koreatown	12574	24324
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1214	26629
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	12066	28588
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	4547	34623
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4155	27273
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	9923	30441
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2346	29234
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	6604	23300
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1048	33450
Los Angeles - Longwood	1295	30088
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3630	16799
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2356	27601
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	487	15589
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	7020	16529
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	634	14541
Los Angeles - Melrose	19515	25117
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3334	22182
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	3296	18326
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	9299	38547
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	6209	25715
Los Angeles - North Hills	19769	32106
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	45457	30020
Los Angeles - Northridge	18739	26848
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	3146	14776
Los Angeles - Pacoima	31778	41281
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	597	15523
Los Angeles - Palms	7698	17544
Los Angeles - Panorama City	26743	35539
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2160	15906
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	13487	32233
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	394	12328
Los Angel #####