Los Angeles County continued to report exceptionally low levels of coronavirus infections Monday, April 12, now far below what the county was reporting a year ago — shortly after the first stay-at-home order was enacted.
Average daily cases are now around 400, while this time a year ago the county was reporting more than 1,000 cases per day in what would become the first surge of the virus, which crested in July.
For L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, in an uncharacteristic show of emotion, displayed more than measured optimism on Monday as the county hopes to once and for all turn the page on the coronavirus pandemic.
“Like many of you, I do feel hopeful for the first time in a long time,” Ferrer said in the midday briefing Monday, “which makes it even more critical that we follow the safety measures. We can’t let up. Not now.”
With several changes coming Thursday, April 15, Ferrer said it was even more imperative that residents and business owners follow a long list of coronavirus safety protocols that are not going away any time soon.
L.A. County will amend its health officer order on Thursday to reflect changes in state guidelines to allow private gatherings, indoor live events and performances with certain restrictions. Those changes will be posted Wednesday to take effect Thursday.
Also Thursday, any L.A. County resident age 16 and over becomes eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine. The state’s My Turn website should allow appointments to be made beginning Wednesday, Ferrer said.
Next Sunday, the mass vaccination site at Six Flags Magic Mountain will close and transition operations to two new sites opening Monday, April 19, one at College of the Canyons and the other at Palmdale Oasis Park Recreations, where 2,000 doses will be administered at each one.
Roughly 129,000 vaccines were administered at Magic Mountain, which began operating in January 2021.
L.A County will also close the vaccination site at El Sereno Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 13, and in its place open the following day a new site at Eugene A. Obregon Park in East L.A. The new site will increase capacity from 1,500 to 2,000 doses administered per day in one of the hardest hit areas in the county, officials said.
“The increase in capacity and doses coincides with the expansion of all residents 16 years of age and older eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” said L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis, “meaning that more community members across the Eastside will be able to have direct access to these lifesaving resources. This is the beginning of a new chapter for our families in this region – one that will get us closer to the end of this pandemic.”
The county has so far administered more than 5.1 million coronavirus vaccines with now more than 700 sites across the county, including about 400 sites throug the county and another 300 independent sites. Of those vaccinated so far, 1.85 million were second doses and 200,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines were administered.
Health officials also raised some troubling data they noticed showing mortality rates, while higher among males, were highest among black and Latino males, who were also the least likely to be vaccinated.
Overall, the mortality rate in males for COVID-19 is almost double for females, and for Black and Latino males, the risk of death is higher than average. The cumulative mortality rates for Latino males was nearly 2.5 times the rate of Asians and three times that of Whites. Blacks were slightly lower than Latinos but still nearly twice the rate of White males.
Meanwhile, vaccination rates are just the opposite. Roughly 44% of women over 16 are vaccinated compared to 30% of men. For Asian men, rates are the highest, at 35%, Whites at 32%. But for Blacks at 19% and Latinos at 17%, the rates of vaccination is much lower.
“We all need to work much harder to make sure that men who have the greatest risk of dying from COVID-19 are aware of their risk and we make it very easy for them to get vaccinated,” Ferrer said.
L.A. County on Monday reported just three deaths and 411 new cases. A total of 23,479 people have died from COVID-19 and 1,226,191 have tested positive. There were 471 individuals in L.A. County hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday, but officials said a significant share were in the hospital for other reasons not related to the coronavirus.
Among cities with independent health departments, Pasadena reported just two new cases Monday, increasing its total to 11,180; its death toll remained at 339. Long Beach had not updated its totals as of 4:30 p.m. As of Friday, the city had reported 930 deaths and 52,496 cases.
