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A relentless wave of COVID-19 cases continued in Los Angeles County on Thursday, July 22, as 2,700 more cases were reported, with the percentage of infections occurring among fully vaccinated residents steadily increasing.
In fact, during the month of June, 20% of all new COVID infections reported in the county occurred in people who had been fully vaccinated. This was up from 11% in May and 5% in April. But public health director Barbara Ferrer said the increase is normal given the continued rise in the number of people fully vaccinated.
She also pointed out that fully vaccinated people who are infected usually have extremely mild cases – a benefit that vaccines have always promised.
“Very few of them have been hospitalized and an even smaller number have died,” Ferrer said. “So yes, if you are fully vaccinated you have a lot of protection, which is what vaccines have always been best at – protecting people from serious illness and death. And these vaccines, even with the ‘Delta’ variant, hold up very well.
She said that the fact that fully vaccinated people are always infected should not be seen as ineffective vaccines and should not be used as an excuse to avoid getting the vaccine.
“While seat belts don’t prevent everything that can happen in a car accident, they provide great protection, so much so that we all use them regularly,” she said. “It wouldn’t really make sense not to use a seat belt just because it doesn’t prevent all injuries from car crashes. To reject a COVID vaccine because it does not offer 100% protection really ignores the powerful benefits we have felt from people who have been vaccinated. “
She noted that when the vaccination program began, the main benefit cited was their ability to prevent people from ending up hospitalized or dying from the virus. With the county seeing an increase in infections – the vast majority among those who are not vaccinated – infections are expected to occur among those who have received the vaccines. And she noted that without vaccines, the number of infections would be much higher.
“When we looked at this, vaccines really promised us they would prevent disease and death, and there were big question marks over how many fully vaccinated people would be prevented from contracting the virus.” , Ferrer said. “… There is still so much protection for people who are fully vaccinated, especially compared to those who have no protection because they are not vaccinated. “
people hospitalized in the county due to COVID, up from 645 on Wednesday.
According to the county, of about 4.85 million fully vaccinated residents from Jan.19 to Tuesday, 6,520 have tested positive for the virus, for a rate of 0.13%. This is up from a rate of 0.09% last week.
Of those fully vaccinated during that period who tested positive, only 287 were hospitalized, a rate of 0.0059% of the vaccinated population, up from 0.0045% last week. There were 30 vaccinated people who died, a rate of 0.0006%.
The most recent figures provided by the county on Thursday show that 5.3 million of the county’s estimated 10.3 million people are fully immunized, a rate of around 52%. About 1.3 million people in the county are not eligible for the shootings because they are under 12 years old.
The county reported 2,767 new COVID infections on Thursday, the highest daily number since February. The new cases brought the county’s cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 1,276,137. This was the 14th consecutive day of daily cases exceeding 1,000.
13 more deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll to 24,607.
According to state figures, 655 people were hospitalized in the county due to COVID, up from 645 on Wednesday. There were 148 people in intensive care, up from 140 a day earlier.
The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus edged up to 5.26% on Thursday, from 5.2% a day earlier. A month ago, the rate was 0.7%.
Health officials have bluntly pointed the finger at the highly infectious “Delta” strain of COVID-19 for the recent increase in cases locally and across the country. The variant, first detected in India, has increased in prevalence statewide and now accounts for the vast majority of confirmed variants in the county.
Ferrer again insisted that the current vaccines offer strong protection against the “Delta” variant, and she continued to urge residents to get vaccinated. Young black and Latino residents continue to have the lowest vaccination rates in the county.
Black residents also had the highest rate of new infections over the past month, at 181 per 100,000 residents. Latin American residents have traditionally had one of the highest infection rates throughout the pandemic, but in recent months white residents have recorded a higher rate, at 83 per 100,000 residents. Latinos had an infection rate of 62 per 100,000 population.
Black residents also had the highest hospitalization rate during the month, followed by Latinos and Whites.
Hoping to encourage more people to get vaccinated, the county continues to offer incentives. Between Friday and next Thursday, anyone who gets vaccinated at sites operated by the County, City of Los Angeles, or the Well Child and Family Center in St. John’s will have a chance to win one of seven ticket packages. concert at AEG sites, for a variety of acts.
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