COVID-19 testing

LA County Hits 2 Million COVID Cases, as Hospitalizations Rise

The county said while the number of cases was distressing, the positive news was many of them were "incidental COVID hospitalizations," the LA County Department of Public Health said.

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Los Angeles County surpassed 2 million COVID-19 cases Monday, and reported 13 more deaths, the department of public health said.

LA County reported the toll had reached a staggering 2 million since the beginning of the pandemic.

In the county's daily reporting, Los Angeles County hospitals had topped 3,400, the highest level since Feb. 11, 2021.

"Public Health has identified a total 2,010,964 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of LA County. Today’s positivity rate is 21.4%," the news release said.

The county said while the number of cases was distressing, the positive news was many of them were "incidental COVID hospitalizations," the LA County Department of Public Health said.

That means patients were admitted to the hospital and upon arrival tested positive for COVID-19, rather than the virus being the sole reason for the hospital trip.

Some 55% who were not showing severe COVID symptoms were admitted for a different reason other than the virus and tested positive upon arrival for the week of Dec. 26.

"Our hearts remain with those families experiencing the sorrow of losing those they love to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “With surging transmission and rapidly rising cases and hospitalizations, our already understaffed health care providers are under enormous strain as they try to care for so many COVID infected people, including those with mild illness who are looking for help and support, with the unintended consequence of compromising response capacity across the entire system."

"Between December 15th and December 28th, the ICU admission rate for unvaccinated individuals was 21 times higher than the rate among fully vaccinated individuals," LA County health officials said in a news release.

County officials also said while hospitalizations for children remained low, there has been an increase in the number of children ages 4 and younger who have been admitted.

About 90% of those who had died also had underlying health conditions, county data showed.

Source: CoVariants
Amy O’Kruk/NBC

The county also launched a program Monday due to the uptick in cases and shortage of tests, providing COVID-19 tests that residents can take at home.

Information on locations for free pick-up testing kits is available at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/la-county-pick-up-testing-kit-program/

Some 260 testing sites vetted by the county are listed at Covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

Here are 13 testing kit locations that don't require an appointment:

Obregon Park4021 East 1st Street, LA, CA 90063Mon-Fr, 8am-4pm
Memorial Park North Recreation Center320 N. Orange Ave., Azusa, CA 91702Mon-Sat, 8am-4pm
San Gabriel Valley Airport4015 Santa Anita Ave., El Monte, CA 91731Mon-Sat, 7:30am-4pm
Wingate Park735 North Glendora, Covina, CA 91724Mon-Fri, 7:30-5:30pm
MLK Medical Campus12021 S. Wilmington Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90059Mon-Sun, 8am-3pm
Ted Watkins Park1335 East 103rd Street, LA, CA 90002M-F, 8am-4pm
Helen Keller Park12521 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90044Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm
Poinsettia Recreation Center - Front Lawn7341 Willoughby Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046Tues-Sat, 8am-4pm
Plummer Park7377 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046Tues-Sat, 9am-5:30pm
Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley11251 Glenoaks Blvd, Pacoima, CA 92331Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
Clara Street Park4835 Clara St, Cudahy, CA 90201Mon-Sun, 8am-5pm
Palmdale Hammack Center815 E Avenue Q6, Palmdale CA 93550Mon-Sat,7am-3pm
College of the Canyons - Santa Clarita26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita, CA 91355Mon-Sat, 7:30am-4pm

A drive-thru COVID-19 testing site also opened in the City of Industry, at the Industry Hills Expo Center at 16200 Temple Ave. with the capacity to handle 1,000 vehicles. It will be open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Jan. 31.

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