LOS ANGELES (KNX) — With the reporting of 24 new deaths and 21,790 new cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health is making an urgent plea with residents to get vaccinated before it's too late.
"Choosing not to take the vaccine during this explosive winter surge is very risky since so many of those ill with COVID in the intensive care units at hospitals are unvaccinated, and tragically, some of these individuals will not survive," Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, said
"As we start this new year, please protect yourselves by getting vaccinated and boosted if eligible and give others around you the peace of mind that comes from reducing the risk."
Though cases have recently increased among vaccinated people, health officials said data still shows that vaccines remain "extremely protective" against severe COVID-19 infections.
From Dec. 15 to Dec. 18, the "rate ratio" for ICU admission was 21.3, the Department of Public Health said in a statement, explaining that the ratio indicates that the risk of ICU admission was 21.3 times higher among unvaccinated Angelenos.
"Even as transmission surges, we are seeing that vaccines are doing what they were intended to do, which is protect people from getting severely ill due to Covid," Ferrer said.
"We are grateful to the 80% of eligible residents who have already received at least one dose of vaccine – and we hope that the almost two million people who have yet to be vaccinated take time to talk with their health care provider to receive additional information."
Of the 24 new deaths reported by the Department of Public Health, officials said one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, two people were between the ages of 30 and 49, four people were between the ages of 50 and 64, seven people were between the ages of 65 and 79, and nine were more than 80 years old.
20 of them had underlying health conditions. To date, a total of 27,671 Angelenos have lost their lives to COVID-19.
To learn more about vaccinations and boosters, or to make an appointment in L.A. County, click here. Information is available in Spanish here.
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