On Friday, October 29, the number of people hospitalized in Los Angeles County with a positive COVID diagnosis dropped again, and vaccinations for children ages 5-11 came close to approving vaccinations.
There were 630 people hospitalized in the county with COVID-19 as of Friday, up from 638 on Thursday, according to government data. Of these patients, 174 were treated in the intensive care unit, one less than the previous day.
The county has reported another 25 COVID-related deaths, raising the total death toll from the virus to 26,626. Another 1,333 cases of infection were confirmed, bringing the total for the entire pandemic in the county to 1,490,698.
As of Friday, the average daily number of people who tested positive for the virus was 1.1%.
“As we continue to have significant transmission of the virus throughout the district, it is important that those infected, even if they are asymptomatic, are isolated from others for at least 10 days to stop the spread of the virus to others,” says director of health Barbara County. Ferrer said in a statement. “And everyone who is in close contact with an infected person and is not vaccinated should be quarantined and not participate in activities with others.
“This means avoiding parties and attending parties, not going to work or school, or shopping in stores. Breaking the chain of transmission requires that infected or exposed people do their part by staying away from others. ”
On Friday, the FDA approved Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11. The matter will now be referred to the advisory committee of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and then before the CDC director for final approval, which may come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
Pediatric vaccinations will be offered on the basis of an Emergency Use Authorization, the same authorization as Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and Pfizer vaccine for people aged 12 to 15. The Pfizer vaccine has full federal approval for people 16 years of age and older.
Ferrer said Thursday that the county will have about 150,000 doses of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine to begin vaccinations next week.
More than 79,000 cases of COVID and one death were reported in the county during the pandemic among children aged 5-11, Ferrer said. About 37,000 cases have been reported in children under 4 years of age, including one death, and more than 89,000 cases in children aged 12 to 17, with five deaths.
“Trends in child infections are following those in adults, and after a recent decline in the number of cases in children, we are now seeing a small plateau in the number of cases,” Ferrer said. “In the week ending October 10, 12% of cases in Los Angeles County were in children aged 5 to 11, and children in this age group make up 9% of the county’s population.”
In Los Angeles County, 80% of residents age 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 72% are fully vaccinated, Ferrer said. Of the county’s total population of 10.3 million, including children under 12 who are not yet eligible for immunization, 69% have received at least one dose and 61% are fully vaccinated.
Blacks still have the lowest vaccination rates, with only 56% receiving at least one dose. By comparison, 64% are Hispanics, 74% are white, and 83% are Asians.
Young blacks have a particularly low vaccination rate, with the youngest age group being 43% with at least one dose.
