Press Release: As Halloween Kicks Off the Holiday Season, Public Health Offers Simple Tips to Keep Children Healthy and Safe

For Immediate Release:

October 26, 2023

As Halloween Kicks Off the Holiday Season, Public Health Offers Simple Tips to Keep Children Healthy and Safe

As families prepare for upcoming events and celebrations, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) encourages simple precautions to keep children protected and healthy throughout the season, allowing families to focus on fun.

Halloween festivities will kick off the holiday season this weekend and with more opportunities to gather, there can be increased risk for spreading illness. While hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are currently low, November marks the time when respiratory virus transmission typically begins to increase and now is the time to get the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and for some, RSV immunizations are also recommended.?

When children have respiratory virus symptoms, such as coughing, sore throat and/or fever, they should test for COVID-19 and, if feeling ill, stay home from school and activities to reduce spreading illness to others. ?Wearing a well-fitting mask indoors when around others also offers protection against spread of respiratory viruses. ?

If out trick-or-treating, use sidewalks, flashlights and crosswalks and children should always be supervised and accompanied by a responsible adult.? For added safety, residents giving out treats should keep porches, stairwells and walkways lit. Candy and other treats should be inspected before eating and discard any that are unwrapped or opened.

With indoor Halloween plans, it is a good idea to consider testing for COVID-19 ?before gathering if attendees are at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory disease, including grandparents, pregnant people or infants, or if there is a chance of recent exposure. Testing is a good way to help protect people in the community who are more vulnerable.

In Los Angeles County, free COVID-19 tests are available at City of Los Angeles libraries and? Los Angeles County libraries. Residents can also find test kits at Public Health vaccination sites. Many food banks, senior centers and other local organizations offer free test kits for pick-up.

In addition, each household is eligible to order a set of four free at-home tests through the mail by visiting covid.gov/tests and through Nov. 11, 2023, many people with a health plan regulated by California can get up to eight at-home tests per month for each person on the plan at local pharmacies. Full information on free COVID-19 test kits is available at ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDtests.

It is recommended that children and adults test for COVID when they have symptoms of respiratory illness. If a person tests positive, they should isolate for at least five days and mask through day 10 when around others. After day five, people can leave isolation if their symptoms are mild and improving and they are fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Those with respiratory symptoms who test negative for COVID should consider masking indoors around others if they still have symptoms to avoid spreading another respiratory infection, like flu or RSV. ??It is most accurate to take a second COVID-19 test 48 hours after the first test if respiratory symptoms persist.? As with all illness, those with trouble breathing, worsening or unusual symptoms, or with chronic health conditions, should contact a health care provider. ?

Regardless of prior vaccinations earlier this year or last year, to provide protection against illness, children 6 months and older should have at least one dose of the COVID-19 and flu vaccines this fall, which can be administered at the same time. The most up-to-date formulas, available now, are designed to give the strongest protection against strains that are currently circulating. For younger children, or those who have not previously received a COVID-19 or flu vaccine, additional doses may be recommended. Parents should speak to a health care provider, who can also advise on if an RSV immunization is recommended.

If Los Angeles County residents have questions about vaccines, where to get vaccination or how to get tested, the Public Health Call Center remains open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to answer COVID-19-related questions at 1-833-540-0473. Public Health staff can connect callers with resources and help people schedule vaccination appointments, including in-home vaccinations for those that are homebound.

In Los Angeles County, based on data through Oct. 14, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospital Admission Level is Low at 4.0 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, lower than 4.6 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. ?

Metric	Date of Weekly Report
Metric	10/25/2023	10/18/2023	10/11/2023	10/04/2023
Daily average cases?	220	217	242	303
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value	12%	14%	27%	19%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	2.6%	2.6%	2.9%	3.3%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	342	371	422	467
Daily average deaths	4.4	3.3	4.7	5.0
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	2.6%	2.0%	3.2%	2.3%
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. ?

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/COVIDdata including:
COVID-19 Locations & Demographics (data by demographic characteristics and geography, active outbreaks, and citations)
COVID -19 Response Plan
COVID -19 Vaccinations
Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

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/

California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

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

World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health -topics/coronavirus
LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Cases through 12:00pm 10/23/2023	?	?
?	Total Cases	?
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,814,087	?
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	36,878	?
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)	?	?
- 0 to 4	115,547	?
- 5 to 11	284,864	?
- 12 to 17	279,734	?
- 18 to 29	768,063	?
- 30 to 49	1,153,149	?
- 50 to 64	629,021	?
- 65 to 79	276,618	?
-? over 80	99,492	?
-? Under Investigation	2,606	?
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)	?	?
-? Female	1,866,015	?
-? Male	1,651,678	?
-? Other	1,889	?
-? Under Investigation	89,512	?
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)	?	?
-? American Indian/Alaska Native	6,854	?
-? Asian	270,100	?
-? Black	192,041	?
-? Hispanic/Latino	1,535,291	?
-? Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,035	?
-? White	504,290	?
-? Other	416,953	?
-? Under Investigation	665,530	?
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)	?	?
-? Hospitalized (Ever)	187,682	?
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)	?	?
-? American Indian/Alaska Native	81	?
-? Asian	4,596	?
-? Black	3,282	?
-? Hispanic/Latino	16,986	?
-? Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	114	?
-? White	9,349	?
-? Other	470	?
-? Under Investigation	101	?
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6479	31025
City of Alhambra	26076	30068
City of Arcadia	14049	24326
City of Artesia	6182	36809
City of Avalon	297	7676
City of Azusa	17795	35562
City of Baldwin Park	30169	39298
City of Bell	17215	47382
City of Bell Gardens	17387	40368
City of Bellflower	31367	40351
City of Beverly Hills	11847	34319
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33576	31327
City of Calabasas	6034	24808
City of Carson	35801	38149
City of Cerritos	13754	27471
City of Claremont	10609	29079
City of Commerce*	5941	45459
City of Compton	41033	41072
City of Covina	20686	42189
City of Cudahy	12336	50667
City of Culver City	12303	30862
City of Diamond Bar	13981	24308
City of Downey	47539	41605
City of Duarte	7635	34679
City of El Monte	43500	37094
City of El Segundo	4196	24997
City of Gardena	22462	36637
City of Glendale	61536	29801
City of Glendora	15464	29308
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5105	34785
City of Hawthorne	30314	34142
City of Hermosa Beach	4853	24672
City of Hidden Hills	395	20899
City of Huntington Park	26641	44787
City of Industry	1055	241419
City of Inglewood	39621	34883
City of Irwindale	902	61823
City of La Canada Flintridge	4679	22612
City of La Habra Heights	215	3941
City of La Mirada	14562	29359
City of La Puente	16214	39841
City of La Verne	9429	28331
City of Lakewood	27718	34491
City of Lancaster*	65431	40497
City of Lawndale	10820	32189
City of Lomita	6262	30209
City of Lynwood*	31831	44181
City of Malibu	2951	22768
City of Manhattan Beach	7640	21223
City of Maywood	12973	46251
City of Monrovia	12098	31180
City of Montebello	25891	40219
City of Monterey Park	17919	28780
City of Norwalk	43778	40678
City of Palmdale	68016	42786
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2345	17342
City of Paramount	23059	41160
City of Pico Rivera	28515	44358
City of Pomona	66719	42788
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8076	18893
City of Redondo Beach	16086	23416
City of Rolling Hills	305	15722
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1611	19857
City of Rosemead	15542	28079
City of San Dimas*	11313	32776
City of San Fernando	12972	52706
City of San Gabriel	11795	28801
City of San Marino	2499	18822
City of Santa Clarita	75361	34189
City of Santa Fe Springs	8006	43596
City of Santa Monica	27325	29558
City of Sierra Madre	2495	22705
City of Signal Hill	4192	35534
City of South El Monte	8558	40977
City of South Gate	47792	48690
City of South Pasadena	6490	24911
City of Temple City	10977	30111
City of Torrance	35481	23770
City of Vernon	361	172727
City of Walnut	7733	25328
City of West Covina	40327	37259
City of West Hollywood	11524	31187
City of Westlake Village	459	5490
City of Whittier	31818	36392
Los Angeles	1557502	38508
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3257	39710
Los Angeles - Alsace	4624	37155
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	0	0
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	854	34133
Los Angeles - Arleta	17156	49916
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5192	35402
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10522	33806
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2522	29921
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3418	27289
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4315	32756
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41031	47225
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8641	27915
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2339	32847
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	25835	39570
Los Angeles - Carthay	4529	31532
Los Angeles - Central	17202	44117
Los Angeles - Century City	3875	30292
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16593	49141
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13263	35787
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2625	28623
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3015	37589
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5434	37339
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4992	32944
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5483	39649
Los Angeles - Crestview	4068	35785
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8687	29019
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16464	59854
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14104	35626
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9753	33301
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4579	32120
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17204	41150
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1871	32756
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3631	35700
Los Angeles - Encino	15619	34577
Los Angeles - Exposition	1318	39627
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18517	41225
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1295	35972
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3865	44318
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23188	48873
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11210	35470
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	4284	39799
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	22088	37958
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	10255	47687
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4846	28441
Los Angeles - Harbor City	9647	33185
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	16052	36817
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	659	27356
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	6248	34644
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	18348	48367
Los Angeles - Highland Park	17534	36234
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5595	40339
Los Angeles - Hollywood	22130	32423
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	7849	26666
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	12244	42900
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	3213	39799
Los Angeles - Koreatown	16498	31915
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1628	35710
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	16630	39402
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	6253	47613
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5922	38871
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	13034	39985
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	3104	38679
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	8801	31052
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1536	49026
Los Angeles - Longwood	1837	42681
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	6561	30364
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	3334	39058
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	933	29866
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	11312	26635
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	993	22775
Los Angeles - Melrose	26789	34479
Los Angeles - Mid-city	4602	30619
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	5065	28162
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	12180	50489
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	8383	34719
Los Angeles - North Hills	25872	42017
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	60232	39778
Los Angeles - Northridge	26235	37588
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	5187	24362
Los Angeles - Pacoima	39422	51211
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	955	24831
Los Angeles - Palms	12441	28354
Los Angeles - Panorama City	34127	45351
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	3325	24485
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	16637	39761
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	624	19524
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	3545	32383
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	10878	30566
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	2314	35274
Los Angeles - Regent Square	900	32374
Los Angeles - Reseda	32864	42894
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1840	39689
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	1207	28548
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	26888	34455
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	1344	30257
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	28452	32608
Los Angeles - Silverlake	13568	30778
Los Angeles - South Carthay	3384	31940
Los Angeles - South Park	17089	45017
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	1906	41579
Los Angeles - Studio City	7224	32193
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	23638	45039
Los Angeles - Sunland	7071	34648
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	212	32767
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	42994	52178
Los Angeles - Tarzana	10822	35050
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	13720	34750
Los Angeles - Thai Town	2866	29218
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	2623	30136
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	538	41194
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	496	26695
Los Angeles - Tujunga	9187	33035
Los Angeles - University Hills	948	27647
Los Angeles - University Park	11760	42832
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	11442	38120
Los Angeles - Valley Village	8762	35445
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	38420	41226
Los Angeles - Venice	9358	27617
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	7664	44558
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	3814	49811
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	19050	46254
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	25005	48088
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	2870	34171
Los Angeles - View Heights	1151	31159
Los Angeles - Watts	20029	46935
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	1879	38230
Los Angeles - West Adams	11162	40398
Los Angeles - West Hills	13305	32815
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	12019	31935
Los Angeles - West Vernon	25131	46848
Los Angeles - Westchester	14296	27704
Los Angeles - Westlake	21292	35872
Los Angeles - Westwood	17175	31741
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	22722	62891
Los Angeles - Wilmington	24140	42735
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	17411	34704
Los Angeles - Winnetka	20415	39422
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	21262	31242
Unincorporated - Acton	2070	25969
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	1021	24555
Unincorporated - Altadena	12090	27717
Unincorporated - Anaverde	427	28316
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	94	7550
Unincorporated - Arcadia	2327	29157
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	2867	58546
Unincorporated - Athens Village	17977	42357
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	2772	40915
Unincorporated - Azusa	6467	40614
Unincorporated - Bassett	6328	42708
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	212	19758
Unincorporated - Bradbury	137	126852
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	3865	50013
Unincorporated - Castaic*	9966	36652
Unincorporated - Cerritos	193	32879
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	10	50000
Unincorporated - Claremont	160	22792
Unincorporated - Covina	6398	38040
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	5151	39189
Unincorporated - Del Aire	1252	28500
Unincorporated - Del Rey	150	47170
Unincorporated - Del Sur	714	29565
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	983	39430
Unincorporated - Duarte	2057	46454
Unincorporated - East Covina	92	27964
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	1674	31633
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	45	39474
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	59520	47514
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	436	6809
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	6459	42194
Unincorporated - East Whittier	1470	27704
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	2824	32124
Unincorporated - El Monte	1	690
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	294	17700
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	30822	47635
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	2	16667
Unincorporated - Glendora	202	30606
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	16891	30202
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	4	400000
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	779	30986
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	175	15938
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	330	23371
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	4598	23221
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	21	3107
Unincorporated - La Rambla	971	46795
Unincorporated - La Verne*	671	32892
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	2162	30576
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	208	31138
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	4146	31907
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	479	29154
Unincorporated - Lakewood	28	24561
Unincorporated - Lennox	7814	34664
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	317	18104
Unincorporated - Littlerock	1443	35887
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	368	28373
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	1345	37686
Unincorporated - Llano	111	12657
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	2821	29976
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	1155	29760
Unincorporated - Newhall	108	49091
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	516	43072
Unincorporated - North Whittier	3218	38493
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	5457	22703
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	3983	30862
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	1248	46900
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	285	30612
Unincorporated - Rosewood	524	40747
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	562	47108
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	1384	41178
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	12748	24985
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	45	5245
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	8066	39889
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	91	4472
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	63	20455
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	597	223596
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	4040	21696
Unincorporated - Saugus	354	228387
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	151	42416
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	126	27692
Unincorporated - South El Monte	770	42897
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	3307	37376
Unincorporated - South Whittier	22004	37155
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	259	33163
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	6177	29462
Unincorporated - Sun Village	2182	36150
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	604	46605
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	448	27021
Unincorporated - Val Verde	1244	37594
Unincorporated - Valencia	963	31348
Unincorporated - Valinda	9836	42086
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	3740	32144
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	7552	46782
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	195	12905
Unincorporated - West Carson	8630	39075
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	5	41667
Unincorporated - West LA	943	99055
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	4332	44047
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	511	37601
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	10952	40676
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	264	20308
Unincorporated - Westhills	208	24791
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	950	25794
Unincorporated - Whittier	1023	27035
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	77	641667
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	17063	48873
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	1958	32487
?- Under Investigation	73434	?
*? --Case and death numbers include cases identified among persons detained at correctional facilities located in the city/community		?
Data are subject to change based on further investigation		?

The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well -being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises of more than 5,000 employees and has an annual budget of $1.3 billion.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health works to protect health,?
prevent disease, and promote health and well-being.

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