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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County reported another 26 COVID-19 deaths in its latest data, along with 825 newly confirmed infections, while the number of people hospitalized with the virus held mostly steady.
The new fatalities lifted the county's death toll from the pandemic to 26,442. The 825 new cases gave the county a cumulative total of 1,479,421.
According to state figures, there were 635 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, up slightly from 632 on Monday. Of the hospitalized patients, 178 were in intensive care, down from 183 a day earlier.
The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus remained low, at 0.9%.
The county Department of Public Health reported Tuesday that case numbers were continuing to decline among residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities. For the week that ended Oct. 3, 49 new cases were reported in such facilities, down from 63 the week that ended Sept. 5.
According to the county, the latest survey of nursing facilities found that 94% of staff and 89% of residents are fully vaccinated. State and county mandates required that all health care workers, including nursing facility staff, be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.
“We continue working with nursing homes across L.A. County to ensure every eligible nursing home resident and staff is offered a third booster dose,'' county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Once FDA recommendations are finalized and eligibility for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster doses is determined by the CDC, those who are older and have underlying health conditions should be sure to get their boosters once eligible. Importantly, those who live or work with individuals at higher risk for severe disease should be sure to get fully vaccinated to reduce exposure risks.''
On Monday, the county released statistics showing the increased risk of COVID infection among unvaccinated people, saying the infection rate for unvaccinated teens is eight times higher than for vaccinated teens. For adults over 50, the rate is five times higher for unvaccinated people, according to the agency.
Unvaccinated residents aged 12 and older are 12 to 22 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than their vaccinated counterparts, and the death rate is 32 times higher among residents 18 to 49, according to DPH.
According to the most recent county figures, 79% of eligible county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 70% are fully vaccinated. Among the overall 10.3 million population, including those ineligible for shots, 68% have received at least one dose, and 60% are fully vaccinated.
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