news release DPH

For Immediate Release:

October 12, 2023

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Public Health Offers Reliable Information about Safety, Effectiveness of Updated COVID-19 Vaccine

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This fall, many people are making appointments to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, seeking additional protection against severe illness or hospitalization, and hoping to reduce their chances of spreading illness or needing to cancel activities. When faced with important medical choices, people typically have questions and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) encourages residents to look to reliable sources for accurate information about the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

Among the most common questions Public Health hears are whether an updated COVID-19 vaccine is necessary if people have been previously infected with COVID-19 or had earlier versions of the vaccine. Research studies have shown that prior immunity against COVID-19 wanes over time. People who have been recently infected may consider delaying their COVID-19 vaccine dose by three months from symptom onset or positive test because they may have some protection from the virus after infection. Otherwise, it is good to update protection sooner rather than later.

In addition, the COVID-19 strains circulating now are different than what was circulating in 2020, when the first vaccine was widely administered, and last September, when the bivalent vaccine was introduced. With new strains, immunity from past vaccinations or infection may not be as strong. ?The updated COVID-19 vaccine is formulated for strains that are found now, specifically Omicron XBB descendants, which account for 99 percent of sequenced specimens in Los Angeles County as of Sep. 16. For comparison, last winter, as of late Jan. 2023, only about 10 percent of specimens were descendants of XBB.

The best protection against severe illness from COVID-19 remains staying up to date on vaccines. At this time, being up to date means having received a dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine since it became available last month. In some circumstances, this may be a person?s fifth or sixth dose.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. More than 8.3 million people in Los Angeles County have received a COVID-19 vaccine dose since the start of the pandemic. Most people experience only mild side effects, like a sore arm or feeling a bit under the weather for a day or two, evidence that the immune system is building protection. Serious side effects have been extremely rare.

In fact, the chance of severe side effects is much lower than the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 itself. Over the past 30 days in Los Angeles County, people who were unvaccinated were three times more likely to be hospitalized and over four times more likely to die compared to those who were vaccinated. The benefits of being vaccinated ? preventing severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID and death ? greatly outweigh the very small risks of side effects.

It is recommended that everyone who is 6 months or older receives at least one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine. For children ages 4 years and younger, and for those who are immunocompromised, additional doses may be recommended. Providers can give additional information about timing and number of doses.

Myths about the COVID-19 vaccine continue to persist in the community, perpetuating vaccine hesitancy and preventing people from getting the most up-to-date protection. ?

There is no evidence of infertility from the vaccine among thousands of people who participated in clinical trials. In fact, many vaccine recipients have effectively conceived. Nor is there evidence of delayed puberty in children after receiving the COVID-19 or any other vaccine.

The mRNA vaccines cannot change DNA. The mRNA in the COVID-19 vaccine cannot enter the nucleus of the cell, where DNA lives. The mRNA helps activate an immune response to COVID-19, and then cells break down the mRNA without affecting other systems in the body.

For those who have questions about the vaccine, look for reliable sources. Oftentimes, the best sources may be your own health care provider.? If there is information online that questions the vaccine safety or effectiveness, it is good practice to check that the information is verified by multiple credible sources and written by a qualified physician, a health professional or distributed by a reputable institute or peer-reviewed journal. Online searches can help you to find the original source of the information posted on social media sites and it is good to bookmark the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 page, which includes safety information, and Public Health?s vaccine page, including links to find sites offering vaccine.

In addition, Public Health continues to operate the Public Health Call Center, open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1-833-540-0473. Staff are available to answer questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine, and to direct people to resources if needed. This call line can also be used to find vaccine availability, schedule vaccine appointments and request a free homebound vaccine visit.

If someone is homebound or has difficulty leaving their home safely to get vaccinated against COVID-19, in-home vaccination can be requested. Self-referrals and referrals from organizations, agencies, providers, caregivers, family members, and loved ones are all welcome and others in the household can be vaccinated at the same time. Requests can also be made online at ph.lacounty.gov/vaxathome.

In Los Angeles County, based on data through Sept. 30, the CDC Hospital Admission Level is Low at 5.2 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, lower than 6.1 reported the week before.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks.

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Metric

Date of Weekly Report

10/11/2023

10/04/2023

9/27/2023

9/20/2023

Daily average cases?

242

303

382

475

SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value

27%

19%

30%

38%

Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related

2.9%

3.3%

3.9%

3.8%

Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations

420

467

544

588

Daily average deaths

4.7

5.0

3.9

4.0

Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19

3.5%

2.1%

3.4%

2.9%

All daily averages are 7-day averages.?Data?for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED?data?= week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag.?

Case?data?is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death?data?is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death?data?were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases do not include Long Beach and Pasadena; daily average deaths include Long Beach and Pasadena. ?

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Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

  • Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ? Spanish:

https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

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Cases through 12:00pm 10/09/2023

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Total Cases

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Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)

3,809,834

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Deaths (includes LB and Pas)

36,806

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Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

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- 0 to 4

115,354

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- 5 to 11

284,780

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- 12 to 17

279,624

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- 18 to 29

767,522

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- 30 to 49

1,152,098

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- 50 to 64

628,140

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- 65 to 79

275,744

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-? over 80

98,975

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-? Under Investigation

2,604

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Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

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-? Female

1,863,619

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-? Male

1,649,847

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-? Other

1,889

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-? Under Investigation

89,486

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Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

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?

-? American Indian/Alaska Native

6,843

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-? Asian

269,665

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-? Black

191,705

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-? Hispanic/Latino

1,534,041

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-? Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

18,017

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-? White

503,333

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-? Other

416,366

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-? Under Investigation

664,871

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Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

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-? Hospitalized (Ever)

186,851

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Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

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-? American Indian/Alaska Native

81

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-? Asian

4,586

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-? Black

3,278

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-? Hispanic/Latino

16,970

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-? Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

114

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-? White

9,330

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-? Other

459

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-? Under Investigation

99

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CITY / COMMUNITY**

Cases

Case Rate

City of Agoura Hills

6475

31006

City of Alhambra

26035

30021

City of Arcadia

14033

24298

City of Artesia

6171

36743

City of Avalon

293

7573

City of Azusa

17784

35540

City of Baldwin Park

30138

39258

City of Bell

17199

47338

City of Bell Gardens

17378

40347

City of Bellflower

31341

40318

City of Beverly Hills

11825

34256

City of Bradbury

71

6642

City of Burbank

33523

31277

City of Calabasas

6023

24763

City of Carson

35753

38098

City of Cerritos

13735

27433

City of Claremont

10570

28972

City of Commerce*

5938

45436

City of Compton

41004

41043

City of Covina

20663

42142

City of Cudahy

12329

50639

City of Culver City

12282

30809

City of Diamond Bar

13963

24277

City of Downey

47502

41573

City of Duarte

7628

34648

City of El Monte

43466

37065

City of El Segundo

4189

24955

City of Gardena

22423

36573

City of Glendale

61461

29764

City of Glendora

15438

29259

City of Hawaiian Gardens

5097

34730

City of Hawthorne

30274

34097

City of Hermosa Beach

4845

24631

City of Hidden Hills

394

20847

City of Huntington Park

26631

44770

City of Industry

1049

240046

City of Inglewood

39577

34844

City of Irwindale

902

61823

City of La Canada Flintridge

4672

22578

City of La Habra Heights

215

3941

City of La Mirada

14543

29321

City of La Puente

16194

39792

City of La Verne

9413

28283

City of Lakewood

27693

34460

City of Lancaster*

65334

40437

City of Lawndale

10806

32147

City of Lomita

6251

30156

City of Lynwood*

31801

44139

City of Malibu

2947

22737

City of Manhattan Beach

7627

21187

City of Maywood

12970

46241

City of Monrovia

12078

31129

City of Montebello

25861

40172

City of Monterey Park

17886

28727

City of Norwalk

43742

40644

City of Palmdale

67942

42739

City of Palos Verdes Estates

2341

17313

City of Paramount

23045

41135

City of Pico Rivera

28500

44335

City of Pomona

66658

42748

City of Rancho Palos Verdes

8058

18850

City of Redondo Beach

16041

23350

City of Rolling Hills

305

15722

City of Rolling Hills Estates

1604

19771

City of Rosemead

15523

28045

City of San Dimas*

11300

32738

City of San Fernando

12958

52649

City of San Gabriel

11735

28654

City of San Marino

2491

18762

City of Santa Clarita

75232

34131

City of Santa Fe Springs

8001

43569

City of Santa Monica

27266

29494

City of Sierra Madre

2489

22650

City of Signal Hill

4190

35518

City of South El Monte

8551

40943

City of South Gate

47773

48671

City of South Pasadena

6476

24857

City of Temple City

10963

30073

City of Torrance

35420

23729

City of Vernon

361

172727

City of Walnut

7727

25308

City of West Covina

40286

37221

City of West Hollywood

11507

31141

City of Westlake Village

459

5490

City of Whittier

31796

36367

Los Angeles

1555705

38464

Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie

3257

39710

Los Angeles - Alsace

4623

37147

Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest

0

0

Los Angeles - Angelino Heights

854

34133

Los Angeles - Arleta

17144

49881

Los Angeles - Atwater Village

5181

35327

Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills

10507

33757

Los Angeles - Bel Air

2519

29885

Los Angeles - Beverly Crest

3414

27257

Los Angeles - Beverlywood

4309

32711

Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*

41004

47194

Los Angeles - Brentwood

8628

27873

Los Angeles - Brookside

158

27194

Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning

2338

32832

Los Angeles - Canoga Park

25813

39537

Los Angeles - Carthay

4522

31484

Los Angeles - Central

17196

44101

Los Angeles - Century City

3862

30191

Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove

16563

49052

Los Angeles - Chatsworth

13245

35738

Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills

2620

28568

Los Angeles - Chinatown

3013

37564

Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran

5427

37291

Los Angeles - Country Club Park

4988

32918

Los Angeles - Crenshaw District

5476

39598

Los Angeles - Crestview

4065

35758

Los Angeles - Del Rey

8668

28955

Los Angeles - Downtown*

16448

59796

Los Angeles - Eagle Rock

14080

35565

Los Angeles - East Hollywood

9746

33278

Los Angeles - Echo Park

4575

32092

Los Angeles - El Sereno

17190

41117

Los Angeles - Elysian Park

1867

32686

Los Angeles - Elysian Valley

3630

35690

Los Angeles - Encino

15589

34510

Los Angeles - Exposition

1316

39567

Los Angeles - Exposition Park

18507

41203

Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights

1295

35972

Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square

3862

44284

Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone

23174

48844

Los Angeles - Glassell Park

11198

35432

Los Angeles - Gramercy Place

4275

39716

Los Angeles - Granada Hills

22054

37899

Los Angeles - Green Meadows

10250

47663

Los Angeles - Hancock Park

4842

28417

Los Angeles - Harbor City

9630

33127

Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway

16038

36784

Los Angeles - Harbor Pines

658

27314

Los Angeles - Harvard Heights

6244

34622

Los Angeles - Harvard Park

18338

48341

Los Angeles - Highland Park

17519

36203

Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown

5593

40324

Los Angeles - Hollywood

22105

32386

Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills

7838

26629

Los Angeles - Hyde Park

12219

42812

Los Angeles - Jefferson Park

3210

39762

Los Angeles - Koreatown

16488

31896

Los Angeles - Lafayette Square

1626

35666

Los Angeles - Lake Balboa

16614

39364

Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace

6242

47529

Los Angeles - Leimert Park

5910

38792

Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights

13025

39958

Los Angeles - Little Armenia

3100

38629

Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh

8794

31027

Los Angeles - Little Tokyo

1533

48931

Los Angeles - Longwood

1833

42588

Los Angeles - Los Feliz

6550

30313

Los Angeles - Manchester Square

3332

39035

Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon

930

29770

Los Angeles - Mar Vista

11282

26564

Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula

992

22752

Los Angeles - Melrose

26753

34433

Los Angeles - Mid-city

4596

30579

Los Angeles - Miracle Mile

5053

28096

Los Angeles - Mission Hills

12161

50410

Los Angeles - Mt. Washington

8370

34666

Los Angeles - North Hills

25845

41973

Los Angeles - North Hollywood

60156

39728

Los Angeles - Northridge

26192

37526

Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades

5170

24283

Los Angeles - Pacoima

39390

51170

Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands

952

24753

Los Angeles - Palms

12419

28304

Los Angeles - Panorama City

34095

45309

Los Angeles - Park La Brea

3321

24455

Los Angeles - Pico-Union

16626

39735

Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey

623

19493

Los Angeles - Playa Vista

3540

32338

Los Angeles - Porter Ranch

10856

30505

Los Angeles - Rancho Park

2310

35213

Los Angeles - Regent Square

895

32194

Los Angeles - Reseda

32828

42847

Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch

1836

39603

Los Angeles - Reynier Village

1204

28477

Los Angeles - San Pedro*

26853

34410

Los Angeles - Shadow Hills

1344

30257

Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks

28406

32556

Los Angeles - Silverlake

13544

30724

Los Angeles - South Carthay

3381

31911

Los Angeles - South Park

17084

45004

Los Angeles - St Elmo Village

1901

41470

Los Angeles - Studio City

7215

32152

Los Angeles - Sun Valley

23616

44997

Los Angeles - Sunland

7062

34604

Los Angeles - Sycamore Square

212

32767

Los Angeles - Sylmar*

42951

52126

Los Angeles - Tarzana

10806

34998

Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry

13711

34727

Los Angeles - Thai Town

2863

29187

Los Angeles - Toluca Lake

2620

30101

Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace

537

41118

Los Angeles - Toluca Woods

496

26695

Los Angeles - Tujunga

9176

32995

Los Angeles - University Hills

947

27617

Los Angeles - University Park

11750

42796

Los Angeles - Valley Glen

11431

38083

Los Angeles - Valley Village

8750

35396

Los Angeles - Van Nuys*

38378

41181

Los Angeles - Venice

9347

27584

Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls

7659

44529

Los Angeles - Vermont Square

3814

49811

Los Angeles - Vermont Vista

19029

46203

Los Angeles - Vernon Central

24992

48063

Los Angeles - Victoria Park

2867

34135

Los Angeles - View Heights

1147

31050

Los Angeles - Watts

20017

46907

Los Angeles - Wellington Square

1879

38230

Los Angeles - West Adams

11152

40362

Los Angeles - West Hills

13287

32771

Los Angeles - West Los Angeles

12002

31890

Los Angeles - West Vernon

25113

46814

Los Angeles - Westchester

14273

27659

Los Angeles - Westlake

21276

35845

Los Angeles - Westwood

17125

31649

Los Angeles - Wholesale District*

22703

62839

Los Angeles - Wilmington

24117

42695

Los Angeles - Wilshire Center

17403

34688

Los Angeles - Winnetka

20387

39368

Los Angeles - Woodland Hills

21220

31181

Unincorporated - Acton

2067

25932

Unincorporated - Agua Dulce

1018

24483

Unincorporated - Altadena

12065

27659

Unincorporated - Anaverde

427

28316

Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest

94

7550

Unincorporated - Arcadia

2325

29132

Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont

2865

58505

Unincorporated - Athens Village

17955

42305

Unincorporated - Avocado Heights

2769

40871

Unincorporated - Azusa

6463

40589

Unincorporated - Bassett

6324

42681

Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon

212

19758

Unincorporated - Bradbury

137

126852

Unincorporated - Canyon Country

3858

49922

Unincorporated - Castaic*

9944

36571

Unincorporated - Cerritos

193

32879

Unincorporated - Charter Oak

10

50000

Unincorporated - Claremont

160

22792

Unincorporated - Covina

6395

38022

Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)

5147

39159

Unincorporated - Del Aire

1250

28454

Unincorporated - Del Rey

150

47170

Unincorporated - Del Sur

714

29565

Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands

982

39390

Unincorporated - Duarte

2054

46387

Unincorporated - East Covina

92

27964

Unincorporated - East La Mirada

1674

31633

Unincorporated - East Lancaster

44

38596

Unincorporated - East Los Angeles

59479

47481

Unincorporated - East Pasadena

435

6794

Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez

6455

42167

Unincorporated - East Whittier

1470

27704

Unincorporated - El Camino Village

2824

32124

Unincorporated - El Monte

1

690

Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake

293

17640

Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone

30812

47619

Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon

2

16667

Unincorporated - Glendora

202

30606

Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights

16878

30179

Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway

4

400000

Unincorporated - Hawthorne

779

30986

Unincorporated - Hi Vista

175

15938

Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons

329

23300

Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose

4590

23181

Unincorporated - La Habra Heights

21

3107

Unincorporated - La Rambla

969

46699

Unincorporated - La Verne*

671

32892

Unincorporated - Ladera Heights

2156

30491

Unincorporated - Lake Hughes

208

31138

Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles

4142

31876

Unincorporated - Lake Manor

479

29154

Unincorporated - Lakewood

28

24561

Unincorporated - Lennox

7812

34655

Unincorporated - Leona Valley

317

18104

Unincorporated - Littlerock

1442

35862

Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills

368

28373

Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom

1344

37658

Unincorporated - Llano

110

12543

Unincorporated - Marina del Rey

2817

29933

Unincorporated - Miracle Mile

0

0

Unincorporated - Monrovia

1153

29709

Unincorporated - Newhall

108

49091

Unincorporated - North Lancaster

516

43072

Unincorporated - North Whittier

3215

38457

Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel

5446

22658

Unincorporated - Padua Hills

38

17674

Unincorporated - Palmdale

273

32423

Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula

133

21417

Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano

440

22495

Unincorporated - Pellissier Village

381

61551

Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon

24

5217

Unincorporated - Pomona

129

6656

Unincorporated - Quartz Hill

3976

30807

Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez

1244

46749

Unincorporated - Roosevelt

285

30612

Unincorporated - Rosewood

523

40669

Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena

561

47024

Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez

1383

41148

Unincorporated - Rowland Heights

12738

24966

Unincorporated - San Clemente Island

0

0

Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon

44

5128

Unincorporated - San Jose Hills

8064

39879

Unincorporated - San Pasqual

91

4472

Unincorporated - Sand Canyon

63

20455

Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island

597

223596

Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*

4031

21648

Unincorporated - Saugus

353

227742

Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country

151

42416

Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley

124

27253

Unincorporated - South El Monte

769

42841

Unincorporated - South San Gabriel

3286

37138

Unincorporated - South Whittier

21987

37126

Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley

258

33035

Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch

6161

29386

Unincorporated - Sun Village

2179

36100

Unincorporated - Sunrise Village

603

46528

Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain

447

26960

Unincorporated - Val Verde

1243

37564

Unincorporated - Valencia

962

31315

Unincorporated - Valinda

9833

42074

Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills

3734

32093

Unincorporated - Walnut Park

7548

46757

Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley

195

12905

Unincorporated - West Carson

8610

38984

Unincorporated - West Chatsworth

5

41667

Unincorporated - West LA

940

98739

Unincorporated - West Puente Valley

4325

43976

Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez

510

37528

Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos

10946

40654

Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills

264

20308

Unincorporated - Westhills

208

24791

Unincorporated - White Fence Farms

948

25740

Unincorporated - Whittier

1022

27008

Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows

77

641667

Unincorporated - Willowbrook

17054

48847

Unincorporated - Wiseburn

1953

32404

?- Under Investigation

73288

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*? --Case and death numbers include cases identified among persons detained at correctional facilities located in the city/community

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Data are subject to change based on further investigation

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