L.A. County Reports 32 New Covid-19 Deaths And 3,891 New Positive Cases

On Saturday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 32 new deaths from Covid-19, and 3,891 new positive cases.

The number of deaths and confirmed cases announced today may reflect delays in weekend reporting. But today’s data brings the County to a total of 25,061 deaths and 1,380,415 positive cases.

At time of reporting, 1,775 County residents are hospitalized with Covid-19. 24% of them are in the ICU.

Covid test results have now been made available to nearly 7,900,000 people, with 16% testing positive. Today’s daily test positivity rate is 3.1%.

COVID-19 Daily Update:
August 21, 2021
New Cases: 3,891 (1,380,415 to date)
New Deaths: 32 (25,061 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 1,775 pic.twitter.com/7aq3brjaJl

— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) August 21, 2021

10 of today’s new deaths were of people over the age of 80. 12 individuals who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, while five were between 50 and 64 years of age, three were between the ages of 30 and 49, and one was between the ages of 18 and 29. One of the deaths reported today came from the city of Long Beach.

Public Health Barbara Ferrer noted today that vaccines are “not perfect,” and that “many of us may know someone who is fully vaccinated and ended up getting COVID.”

Related Story

Still, she said, the vaccines generally “continue to do what we most need them to do: they protect from the worst outcomes of COVID-19 and allow our hospitals and clinics to continue providing the full range of services to everyone who needs health care.” Ferrer also touched on the importance of masking and social distances, practices which “provide layers of additional protection” against the virus.

“To avoid requiring even more safety measures to blunt the spread of the virus, many more people must get vaccinated. This is how we can keep our schools, workplaces, and retail establishments open at full capacity,” Ferrer continued. “With almost 3 million L.A. County residents 12 and older still not vaccinated, our recovery journey can become compromised.”

Vaccinated Residents Continue to be Protected from Negative COVID-19 Outcomes
32 New Deaths and 3,891 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. View https://t.co/gGrEcHRVz1 pic.twitter.com/CAHSR1LItH

— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) August 22, 2021

Last week, the FDA approved an additional dose of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people, which can be administered at least 28 days after dose two. L.A. County began administering the third round of the vaccine to those who are eligible last Saturday.

The County has aimed to further combat the Covid surge by reinstating a health order, requiring residents to mask up in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. The order was put back into place on July 17 and remains in effect.