LA County Updates Post Surge Metrics; Specimens Identified as BA.2 Subvariant Increases - 734 New Positive Cases and 27 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Post Surge Response Plan, which aims to protect the most vulnerable residents, keep hospitals and the healthcare system functioning, prevent unconstrained spread and significant illness, and prepare for future challenges presented by the evolving conditions of the virus, uses several metrics to assess risk. These metrics are tied to associated community prevention strategies and early alert signals that trigger a review of contributing factors and potential changes to community and sector-specific prevention strategies.

As of March 22, L.A. County’s current Centers for Disease Control Community Level is low, with 117.8 new cases per 100,000 people in last seven days, 3.5 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (seven-day total), and 2.6% proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (seven-day average).

L.A. County’s Early Alert Signals allow us to quickly determine any concerning trends that can result in future higher rates of transmission and/or increased illness severity.

These signals include three community-wide measures: variants of concern (or VOCs), Emergency Department COVID-19 visits, and cumulative crude case rate in high poverty communities. The signals also include four sector-specific measures, which are: new outbreaks at Skilled Nursing Facilities, new outbreaks at TK-12 schools, new outbreaks at settings with Persons Experiencing Homelessness, and clusters at worksites.

If there are alerts in two or more sectors, which reach the threshold for moderate or high concern, we’ll conduct an in-depth review of contributing factors and consider changes to community prevention strategies. Sector-specific alerts that reach the threshold for moderate or high concern will result in mitigation measures that are tailored to that setting.

As of March 24, only one indicator reached the threshold for moderate concern, the percent of specimens sequenced that are identified as a new variant of concern (based on the World Health Organization’s designation).

Although the current sequencing sample represents a small fraction of all cases, it indicates that between February 27- March 5, 14.7% of sequenced cases were the BA.2 Omicron sub-lineage in LA County. This is an increase from 6.4% of sequenced cases in the prior week.

The increase of the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 in sequenced samples parallels trends nationally and in Europe. This variant is known to be more highly contagious than earlier variants, though it does not appear to be more severe.

Public Health continues to strongly recommend protective measures including, when around others in public settings, wearing a mask with a good fit and filtration (medical masks or N95/KN95/KF94 respirators), especially for individuals who are at elevated risk of severe illness from a COVID-19 infection and for those who live with someone at elevated risk, such as the elderly, those with underlying comorbidities, and immunocompromised individuals. Public Health also strongly recommends residents who need to get vaccinated or who are eligible to get boosted do so now, as the vaccines provide the best protection against COVID and the associated variants. Residents should get tested if they are sick or exposed COVID-19 and stay at home if they receive a positive test result.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one from COVID,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “The Community Level metrics from the CDC and the County’s early alert system were implemented to help Public Health better assess our level of risk based on the most current COVID-19 local metrics. Although most of our metrics continue to improve, the county continues to see substantial transmission. Along with the increasing circulation of the more-infectious BA.2 subvariant, everyone, especially those who are at elevated risk or live with someone at elevated risk, should wear a high-quality mask and get vaccinated and boosted.”

Today, Public Health reported 27 additional deaths, and 734 new positive cases of COVID-19. Of the 27 new deaths reported today, 11 people were between the ages of 50-64, five were between the ages of 65-79, and 11 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 27 newly reported deaths, 19 people had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,561.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,827,802 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Note that 165 additional cases have been added to the cumulative total of positive cases due to a backlog of cases from the surge. Today’s positivity rate is 0.7%.

There are 351 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,636,500 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
Contact Tracing Metrics
Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics
Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance
Outbreaks:

Residential Congregate Settings
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

For More Information:

#####

Cases through 12:00pm 3/23/2022
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,827,802
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,674,362
-- Long Beach	125,438
-- Pasadena	28,002
Deaths	31,561
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	29,894
-- Long Beach	1,258
-- Pasadena	409
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	82216
- 5 to 11	238111
- 12 to 17	232542
- 18 to 29	595127
- 30 to 49	852570
- 50 to 64	442891
- 65 to 79	171966
- over 80	56009
- Under Investigation	2930
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1359848
- Male	1239590
- Other	1011
- Under Investigation	73913
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	4911
- Asian	163198
- Black	134023
- Hispanic/Latino	1223875
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13581
- White	342546
- Other	297073
- Under Investigation	495155
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	135,879	**DATA Under reported
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	3734
- Black	2757
- Hispanic/Latino	15403
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	110
- White	7413
- Other	308
- Under Investigation	96
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	4126	19758
City of Alhambra	16751	19315
City of Arcadia	7939	13746
City of Artesia	4143	24668
City of Avalon	62	1602
City of Azusa	13662	27302
City of Baldwin Park	22793	29690
City of Bell	13808	38005
City of Bell Gardens	14110	32760
City of Bellflower	23210	29858
City of Beverly Hills	8234	23853
City of Bradbury	65	6080
City of Burbank	22075	20596
City of Calabasas	3916	16100
City of Carson	25323	26984
City of Cerritos	8315	16608
City of Claremont	6500	17816
City of Commerce*	4501	34440
City of Compton	32997	33029
City of Covina	14602	29781
City of Cudahy	9974	40966
City of Culver City	7292	18292
City of Diamond Bar	9080	15787
City of Downey	35717	31259
City of Duarte	5138	23338
City of El Monte	32838	28002
City of El Segundo	2752	16395
City of Gardena	16136	26319
City of Glendale	44075	21345
City of Glendora	11701	22176
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4159	28339
City of Hawthorne	22430	25263
City of Hermosa Beach	3262	16584
City of Hidden Hills	257	13598
City of Huntington Park	21938	36881
City of Industry	396	90618
City of Inglewood	29170	25682
City of Irwindale	535	36669
City of La Canada Flintridge	2824	13647
City of La Habra Heights	162	2970
City of La Mirada	10366	20900
City of La Puente	12632	31039
City of La Verne	7022	21098
City of Lakewood	18836	23439
City of Lancaster*	50588	31310
City of Lawndale	8039	23916
City of Lomita	4252	20512
City of Lynwood*	24693	34273
City of Malibu	2065	15932
City of Manhattan Beach	4883	13564
City of Maywood	10529	37538
City of Monrovia	8198	21129
City of Montebello	19128	29713
City of Monterey Park	11398	18307
City of Norwalk	33071	30729
City of Palmdale	52747	33181
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1491	11026
City of Paramount	18860	33665
City of Pico Rivera	20876	32475
City of Pomona	51753	33190
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	4816	11266
City of Redondo Beach	9863	14357
City of Rolling Hills	187	9639
City of Rolling Hills Estates	978	12055
City of Rosemead	10712	19353
City of San Dimas*	8001	23181
City of San Fernando	10388	42207
City of San Gabriel	7516	18352
City of San Marino	1403	10567
City of Santa Clarita	53616	24324
City of Santa Fe Springs	6315	34388
City of Santa Monica	16789	18161
City of Sierra Madre	1505	13696
City of Signal Hill	2822	23921
City of South El Monte	6545	31338
City of South Gate	38226	38945
City of South Pasadena	3956	15184
City of Temple City	6142	16848
City of Torrance	22528	15092
City of Vernon	308	147368
City of Walnut	4831	15823
City of West Covina	29086	26873
City of West Hollywood	7865	21285
City of Westlake Village	271	3242
City of Whittier	23581	26971
Los Angeles	1163927	28777
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2594	31626
Los Angeles - Alsace	3519	28276
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	621	24820
Los Angeles - Arleta	13581	39514
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	3502	23878
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	7400	23775
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1456	17274
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2321	18531
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	2979	22614
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	33152	38157
Los Angeles - Brentwood	5429	17538
Los Angeles - Brookside	94	16179
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1810	25418
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	19984	30609
Los Angeles - Carthay	2866	19954
Los Angeles - Central	14817	38000
Los Angeles - Century City	2295	17941
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	13445	39818
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	9232	24910
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1602	17468
Los Angeles - Chinatown	1960	24436
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4013	27575
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	3618	23876
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	3940	28491
Los Angeles - Crestview	2827	24868
Los Angeles - Del Rey	5901	19712
Los Angeles - Downtown*	11637	42306
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	8973	22665
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	7259	24786
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3296	23120
Los Angeles - El Sereno	13187	31542
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1353	23687
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2700	26546
Los Angeles - Encino	10189	22556
Los Angeles - Exposition	968	29104
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	14263	31754
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	880	24444
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3011	34526
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	19394	40877
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	7939	25120
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3172	29469
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	15878	27286
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	8496	39507
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	3307	19408
Los Angeles - Harbor City	6939	23870
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	12073	27690
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	453	18804
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5125	28417
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	14899	39275
Los Angeles - Highland Park	12841	26536
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4244	30598
Los Angeles - Hollywood	15804	23155
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	5137	17453
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	9170	32129
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2470	30596
Los Angeles - Koreatown	12863	24883
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1231	27002
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	12136	28754
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	4568	34783
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4213	27653
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	10011	30711
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2409	30019
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	6777	23911
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1077	34376
Los Angeles - Longwood	1314	30530
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3710	17170
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2372	27788
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	497	15909
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	7143	16819
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	643	14748
Los Angeles - Melrose	19862	25564
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3375	22455
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	3352	18638
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	9350	38758
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	6305	26113
Los Angeles - North Hills	19883	32291
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	45810	30253
Los Angeles - Northridge	18909	27091
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	3232	15180
Los Angeles - Pacoima	31943	41496
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	600	15601
Los Angeles - Palms	7795	17766
Los Angeles - Panorama City	26928	35785
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2212	16289
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	13791	32960
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	402	12578
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	2206	20152
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	7105	19965
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	1383	21082
Los Angeles - Regent Square	633	22770
Los Angeles - Reseda	24463	31929
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1397	30134
Los Angeles - Reynier Village