The biggest spreaders of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County are unvaccinated teens, according to the Department of Public Health, reporting that the group is eight times more likely to transmit the virus than teens who are fully vaccinated.
From Sept. 16 to Oct. 16, the Department of Public Health recorded more than 1,000 cases among unvaccinated teens in the county, nearly 300 more than the number of cases among unvaccinated adults.
“The highest case rates have been among unvaccinated teens, who were eight times more likely than vaccinated teens to test positive for COVID,” Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County Public Health Director, said in an Oct. 28 update. “And are important drivers of transmission across our communities.”
The high number of cases among unvaccinated teens marks a shift from earlier in the pandemic, when young adults were the biggest spreaders, according to the L.A. Times.
There have been more than 200,000 cases among children and teens in L.A. County since the beginning of the pandemic, public health officials said in a statement.
“The County has seen 632 hospitalizations in children under 5; 376 among children 5 to 11; and 740 among teens aged 12 to 17.”
Young L.A. County residents are least likely to be vaccinated, data shows, with 70% of those 12 to 15 years old vaccinated compared to 76% of those 16 to 17 years old and 78% of those 30 to 49 years old.
All high school students have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine since May, and the FDA this month cleared kid-size doses for emergency use in children ages 5 to 11.
To date, there have been seven pediatric deaths in the county, all occurred during or shortly after case surges, according to the department of public health. Five were between the ages of 12 to 17, one was under five years old and one was a child between five and 11 years old.
Countrywide there have been nearly 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in L.A. County and 26,637 Angelenos have lost their lives due to the virus.
Follow KNX 1070 Newsradio
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Related
Related
