LA health officials encourage testing and contact tracing in COVID delta surge

Angels — A plea from the early days of the pandemic echoed, and Los Angeles County health officials urged residents to be examined on Friday. COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) If you believe they have developed any symptoms or have been exposed to the virus, work with a contract tracer if they call.

The county on Friday also confirmed another 31 deaths from COVID, including one between the ages of 12 and 17. COVID-19 during a pandemic. Two of them were under the age of 12, and five were between the ages of 12 and 17.

With 31 new deaths, the number of pandemic deaths in the county has increased to 25,032.

Another 3,361 cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed by county health officials on Friday, increasing the cumulative total from the entire pandemic to 1,376,551. As of Friday, the daily rolling rate for those who tested positive for the virus was 3.6%.

According to state statistics, the number of COVID-positive patients in county hospitals declined slightly for the second straight day, from a total of 1,786 on Thursday to 1,775. The intensive care unit increased by 427 from 414 on Thursday.

The latest county figures show that 73% of county residents over the age of 12 have been vaccinated at least once. Of the total 10.3 million residents in the county (including those who are too young to qualify for shots), 63% have been vaccinated at least once and 55% have been fully vaccinated. increase.

“Everyone who has not been vaccinated needs to know that they do not have the same protection as those who have been vaccinated,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s public health department, said in a statement. “The highest hospitalization rates are for unvaccinated elderly people over the age of 50, but hospitalization for unvaccinated young adults between the ages of 18 and 49 has increased by 226% since July 7. Hospitalization rates for vaccinated adults of all ages remain very low compared to unvaccinated adults. Data show how well vaccinated people are protected from adverse results. We continue. Our top priority is to vaccinate people who have not yet been hospitalized. “

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Feller said he expects new daily cases to remain high in the coming weeks due to the increasing number of tests required by many schools and businesses.

The county public health service on Friday reminded residents that even if they were fully vaccinated, they would need to be tested if they had symptoms or were exposed to the virus. According to the county, these people also need to be quarantined from others while waiting for test results.

The county also encouraged people to work with contact tracers. Contact tracers reach out to people who have a positive test or are exposed. The contact tracing process is believed to be important in identifying people who may have been unknowingly exposed to the virus and containing potential outbreaks. Contact tracers can also provide information on quarantine and quarantine, and how to access services and providers.

Calls from the contact tracer will appear on the phone as “LA Public Health” or 833-641-0305.

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Those who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not receive a call from the contact tracer were prompted to call 833-540-0473.

While continuing to profess the effectiveness of the vaccine, Feller said Thursday that the proportion of fully vaccinated people infected and hospitalized has increased over the past three months.

She said in April that only 5% of all cases in the county were vaccinated. In July, that number increased to 30%. Only 5% of inpatients were vaccinated in April, compared to 13% in July.

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But overall, the proportion of vaccinated people who test positive, are hospitalized, or die of COVID remains low, all less than 1%. Of the approximately 5.15 million fully vaccinated residents as of Tuesday, 27,331 were positive at a rate of 0.53%. Only 742 were hospitalized at a rate of 0.014% and 68 died at a rate of 0.0013%.

“These high rates of infection cause more fully vaccinated people to have post-vaccination infections, but the exact same information provides how much protection a fully vaccinated person has. I’ll also reveal if I have one, “Feller said.

“Most of us who are fully vaccinated are not infected. If they are infected, they will not be hospitalized, and if they are fully vaccinated, they will rarely die from COVID tragically.”

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