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The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals spiked for two days in a row, increasing to 672 from 659 on Saturday and 630 on Friday, according to the latest state figures.
Of those patients, 162 were being treated in intensive care, down from 172 the previous day.
The latest numbers come as the county reported 1,118 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths, bringing its cumulative totals to 1,493,170 cases and 26,637 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The number of cases and deaths likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend.
About 90% of all the local deaths associated with COVID-19 were people with underlying health conditions, according to the county’s health department. The most common conditions are hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.
The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1.1% as of Friday.
“As we continue to experience substantial transmission across the county, it is important that those who are infected, even if they have no symptoms, isolate from others for at least 10 days to stop spreading the virus to others,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Friday. “And everyone who is a close contact to an infected person and is not vaccinated needs to quarantine and not participate in activities with others.
“This means not hosting or attending parties, going to work or school or shopping at stores. Breaking the chain of transmission requires that those infected or exposed do their part by staying away from others.”
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. The issue will now move to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee, then to the CDC director for final approval, which could come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
The pediatric shots would be offered under an emergency use authorization, the same authorization given to the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and to the Pfizer vaccine for people aged 12-15. Pfizer’s vaccine has full federal approval for people aged 16 and up.
Ferrer said Thursday the county will have about 150,000 doses of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine on hand to begin administering the shots after they are approved.
According to Ferrer, there have been more than 79,000 COVID cases during the pandemic among children aged 5-11 in the county, and one fatality. About 37,000 cases have occurred in kids up to age 4, also with one death, and more than 89,000 cases in those aged 12-17, with five deaths.
“Infection trends in children follow infection trends in adults, and after a recent drop in pediatric case numbers, we’re now seeing a small plateau among case numbers,” Ferrer said. “Over the week ending Oct. 10, 12% of L.A. County cases were in children aged 5-11, and children in this age group comprise 9% of the county’s population.”
In Los Angeles County, 80% of residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 72% are fully vaccinated, Ferrer said. Among the county’s overall population of 10.3 million people, including those under age 12 who aren’t yet eligible for the shots, 69% have received at least one dose, and 61% are fully vaccinated.
Black residents continue to have the lowest vaccination rates, with just 56% having received at least one dose. That compares with 64% of Latino/a residents, 74% of white residents and 83% of Asians.
Younger Black residents have particularly low vaccination rates, with the youngest age group at 43% with at least one dose.
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