Black and Latinx Residents Have Higher Case, Hospitalization, and Death Rates Throughout the Pandemic; Outcomes Tied to Where Residents Live and Work - 3,270 New Positive Cases and Six New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

The tragedy of the pandemic is not just the 32,000 lives lost, but also the huge disproportionality, most pronounced during the surges, which suggests that the factors contributing to the gaps are related to much more than individual choices.

With high transmission and increased cases, LA County must do everything it can to protect those experiencing higher case, hospitalization, and death rates, including workers who have multiple exposures to others during their workday, people living in communities with high concentrations of poverty, and Black and Latinx residents.

During each of the four surges, the disproportionality in case rates was exacerbated with case rates generally between two and four times higher among Black and Brown residents. At the peak of the summer 2020 surge, case rates among Latinx residents were nearly four times higher than White residents.

Black and Latinx residents also saw hospitalization rates that were three to four times higher than rates for White and Asian residents in the latest Omicron surge. The same trends are noted when looking at death rates, with Black and Latinx residents seeing rates that are two to three times higher than White and Asian residents during this last winter surge.

Disproportionality is also apparent when looking at case, death, and hospitalization rates by vaccination status and poverty level.

Fully vaccinated residents in the wealthiest communities were more than two times less likely to be hospitalized than those vaccinated and living in communities with high rates of poverty. In fact, those vaccinated living in communities with significant poverty were almost as likely to be hospitalized as those unvaccinated living in the wealthiest communities.

It is also important to note that those unvaccinated living in communities with high poverty are 11 times more likely to get infected than those unvaccinated living in the wealthiest communities.

There is also a similar gradient around deaths. Those unvaccinated living in high poverty communities are almost 12 times more likely to die than unvaccinated living in wealthier communities. And among those vaccinated, those living in communities of high poverty are two times more likely to die than those in the wealthiest communities.

These huge differences in case, hospitalization, and death reflect in part exposures, community conditions, and health status. Where people live and work really matters; many essential workers never stayed home, and then returned to very densely populated communities and overcrowded housing.

LA County has a collective obligation to Public Health’s post-surge plan, and expansive mitigation strategies allow us to consider taking public health measures that protect our most vulnerable residents - including those who are of older age; have underlying health conditions; live in communities with high poverty rates; are Black and Brown; are unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated; and face many exposures at work and in the community.

Appropriate strategies include continuing to ensure barrier-free access to testing, vaccinations, therapeutics, and PPE, and connecting residents and workers with services that address food, income and housing insecurity.

Resources are needed to support the network of trusted community-based and faith-based organizations in hard-hit communities that are the backbone of our public health response, including the promotoras and community health workers.

Our worksites need to be as safe as possible by ensuring adequate ventilation, implementing infection control standards, offering paid leave for those seeking health care, and complying with Public Health safety measures.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one, and offer our wishes for peace and healing,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As LA County continues in this different phase of the pandemic, Public Health’s goal has not changed, and we will work with partners to reduce serious illness and deaths from COVID-19. It is simply not appropriate to tolerate disproportionality that results in higher rates of illness, death, and long-term disability among some residents and workers when there are collective prevention strategies that can mitigate spread and serious illness.”

Public Health reported 3,270 new positive cases and six new deaths today. Of the six new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, three were between the ages of 50-64, and two were aged 80 years or older. Of the six newly reported deaths, five had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,991.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,888,408 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 2.3%.

There are 239 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,883,392 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:

	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,888,408
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	2,732,997
-- Long Beach	126,470
-- Pasadena	28,941
Deaths	31,991
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	30,312
-- Long Beach	1,265
-- Pasadena	414
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	83949
- 5 to 11	242844
- 12 to 17	237079
- 18 to 29	609461
- 30 to 49	872247
- 50 to 64	452030
- 65 to 79	176148
- over 80	57206
- Under Investigation	2033
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1390810
- Male	1265544
- Other	1195
- Under Investigation	75448
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	5026
- Asian	171323
- Black	137329
- Hispanic/Latino	1239616
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13811
- White	356431
- Other	302829
- Under Investigation	506632
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)***	137,588
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	3783
- Black	2810
- Hispanic/Latino	15585
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	112
- White	7551
- Other	308
- Under Investigation	90
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	4324	20706
City of Alhambra	17367	20026
City of Arcadia	8347	14453
City of Artesia	4228	25174
City of Avalon	63	1628
City of Azusa	13834	27646
City of Baldwin Park	23048	30023
City of Bell	13951	38399
City of Bell Gardens	14221	33018
City of Bellflower	23502	30233
City of Beverly Hills	8630	25000
City of Bradbury	67	6268
City of Burbank	22923	21387
City of Calabasas	4123	16951
City of Carson	25907	27606
City of Cerritos	8659	17295
City of Claremont	7239	19842
City of Commerce*	4538	34723
City of Compton	33254	33286
City of Covina	14825	30235
City of Cudahy	10077	41389
City of Culver City	7725	19378
City of Diamond Bar	9352	16260
City of Downey	36281	31752
City of Duarte	5239	23796
City of El Monte	33286	28384
City of El Segundo	2898	17264
City of Gardena	16448	26828
City of Glendale	45154	21867
City of Glendora	11946	22640
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4199	28611
City of Hawthorne	22846	25731
City of Hermosa Beach	3423	17402
City of Hidden Hills	273	14444
City of Huntington Park	22167	37265
City of Industry	406	92906
City of Inglewood	29671	26123
City of Irwindale	538	36875
City of La Canada Flintridge	3011	14551
City of La Habra Heights	162	2970
City of La Mirada	10596	21363
City of La Puente	12785	31415
City of La Verne	7149	21480
City of Lakewood	19280	23991
City of Lancaster*	51255	31723
City of Lawndale	8208	24418
City of Lomita	4384	21149
City of Lynwood*	24914	34580
City of Malibu	2199	16966
City of Manhattan Beach	5197	14437
City of Maywood	10617	37852
City of Monrovia	8409	21673
City of Montebello	19383	30110
City of Monterey Park	11822	18988
City of Norwalk	33439	31071
City of Palmdale	53328	33546
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1574	11640
City of Paramount	19024	33957
City of Pico Rivera	21109	32837
City of Pomona	52354	33575
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	5062	11842
City of Redondo Beach	10414	15159
City of Rolling Hills	195	10052
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1029	12683
City of Rosemead	10972	19823
City of San Dimas*	8172	23676
City of San Fernando	10518	42735
City of San Gabriel	7747	18916
City of San Marino	1498	11283
City of Santa Clarita	54896	24905
City of Santa Fe Springs	6405	34878
City of Santa Monica	17976	19445
City of Sierra Madre	1576	14342
City of Signal Hill	2888	24481
City of South El Monte	6604	31621
City of South Gate	38610	39336
City of South Pasadena	4187	16071
City of Temple City	6385	17515
City of Torrance	23454	15713
City of Vernon	311	148804
City of Walnut	4991	16347
City of West Covina	29630	27376
City of West Hollywood	8313	22497
City of Westlake Village	285	3409
City of Whittier	23958	27402
Los Angeles	1192722	29489
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2634	32114
Los Angeles - Alsace	3583	28791
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	645	25779
Los Angeles - Arleta	13734	39959
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	3628	24737
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	7632	24520
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1556	18460
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2466	19689
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3159	23981
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	33457	38508
Los Angeles - Brentwood	5836	18853
Los Angeles - Brookside	99	17040
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1860	26120
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	20351	31171
Los Angeles - Carthay	3036	21138
Los Angeles - Central	14940	38316
Los Angeles - Century City	2482	19403
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	13539	40097
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	9493	25615
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1744	19016
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2023	25221
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4110	28242
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	3698	24404
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4043	29236
Los Angeles - Crestview	2940	25862
Los Angeles - Del Rey	6156	20564
Los Angeles - Downtown*	12189	44312
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	9510	24022
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	7453	25448
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3435	24095
Los Angeles - El Sereno	13412	32080
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1400	24510
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2762	27156
Los Angeles - Encino	10677	23636
Los Angeles - Exposition	980	29465
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	14652	32620
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	915	25417
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3049	34962
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	19587	41284
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	8171	25854
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3218	29896
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	16297	28006
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	8568	39842
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	3491	20488
Los Angeles - Harbor City	7127	24517
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	12280	28165
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	462	19178
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5196	28811
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	15067	39718
Los Angeles - Highland Park	13214	27307
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4314	31103
Los Angeles - Hollywood	16431	24073
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	5475	18601
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	9318	32648
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2526	31289
Los Angeles - Koreatown	13124	25388
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1257	27572
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	12419	29425
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	4640	35331
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4335	28454
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	10194	31273
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2459	30642
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	6946	24507
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1112	35493
Los Angeles - Longwood	1358	31552
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3997	18498
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2419	28339
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	544	17414
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	7571	17826
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	702	16101
Los Angeles - Melrose	20508	26395
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3521	23426
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	3581	19911
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	9504	39396
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	6464	26772
Los Angeles - North Hills	20211	32823
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	46841	30934
Los Angeles - Northridge	19448	27864
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	3514	16505
Los Angeles - Pacoima	32260	41908
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	650	16901
Los Angeles - Palms	8299	18914
Los Angeles - Panorama City	27297	36275
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2327	17135
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	13964	33373
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	424	13267
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	2374	21686
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	7442	20912
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	1509	23003
Los Angeles - Regent Square	659	23705
Los Angeles - Reseda	24922	32528
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1425	30738
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	888	21003
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	19875	25468
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	994	22377
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	19457	22299
Los Angeles - Silverlake	9918	22498
Los Angeles - South Carthay	2366	22331
Los Angeles - South Park	14929	39327
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	1544	33682
Los Angeles - Studio City	4826	21506
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	18933	36075
Los Angeles - Sunland	5170	25333
Los Angel #####