Public Health: L.A. County likely past the peak of Omicron

Certified Medical Assistant Kristine Gonzales, right, prepares to administer a dose of Pfizer vaccine to David Baris during the COVID-19 vaccine clinic and food distribution event held at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley Sierra Vista Clubhouse in Canyon Country on Friday, 070921. Dan Watson/The Signal
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Los Angeles County is likely past the peak of Omicron, Public Health Department officials said in a statement released on Thursday.  

In addition to several other COVID-19 metrics, the announcement comes after a declining number of people currently hospitalized in the county — with 4,323 hospitalized on Thursday versus 4,800 patients last week.  

“The seven-day average of new admissions of people with COVID-19 also decreased by 10%, from 614 patients one week ago to 552 admissions today,” read a Public Health Department statement. “Further, only a portion of COVID cases are requiring critical care.” 

As of Thursday, 17% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients were in the ICU and only 12% of those hospitalized were on ventilators, according to the Department of Public Health.  

“Data is also showing the spread of Omicron has had a disproportionate effect among certain residents over the past two months, with the risk of hospitalization significantly lower for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted,” officials said. “Through Jan. 15, fully vaccinated and boosted individuals were 28 times less likely to be admitted to the ICU for COVID-19 than those unvaccinated, showing that vaccines continue to provide the best protection against severe illness.” 

However, the number of health care workers testing positive continues to show an increase, with 1,559 new health care worker positive cases being reported in the week of Jan. 14, representing a nearly 18% increase compared to the 1,326 cases from the week prior. 

In addition to reporting the recovery from the latest winter surge, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said Thursday 85 new COVID-19-related deaths and 26,010 cases were reported in the last 24 hours.  

All COVID-19 services are free to L.A. County residents and can be accessed by anyone regardless of insurance or immigration status. To find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you, visit VaccinateLACounty.com, or to find a testing site, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.    

On Thursday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health reported the following numbers for the county, as well as the Santa Clarita Valley:   

Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 26,010 

Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 2,586,739 

New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 85 

Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 28,715 

Hospitalizations countywide as of Jan. 26: 4,323 

Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Jan. 27: 68, with 2,005 discharged since the onset of the pandemic. 

COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 642, 463 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita 

Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 66,893 

Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV as of Jan. 25: 393 

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