As Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline, residents can help protect those who are the most vulnerable to the virus by being fully vaccinated, getting tested when exposed and before gatherings, masking indoors and staying home while sick or recovering from COVID-19, according to health officials.

On Aug. 22, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 7,924 new cases and 25 deaths since Aug. 20.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of sequenced specimens, and the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron remains the most predominant subvariant.

The relative proportions of other key sublineages the health department is tracking changed only slightly, including BA.2.12.1, which has declined to 4%, and BA 4.6, which remains at just over 1.5%. To date, only three specimens of BA.2.75 have been detected, indicating no increased circulation of the sublineage in the county. It also shows that the new strains currently circulating remain at a low level and do not appear poised to outcompete BA.5 in the very near future.

Getting vaccinated continues to provide protection from severe illness and hospitalization, especially for the most vulnerable residents living in communities with high rates of poverty. For the 30-day period ending Aug. 4, unvaccinated residents living in the highest poverty areas were 11 times more likely to be hospitalized than their vaccinated counterparts. Although 77% of county residents age 5 and older are vaccinated, only 35% of children 5-11 years old are fully vaccinated, and less than 7% of children under 5 have received at least one dose.

There are thousands of vaccination locations across the county.

For information, visit vaccinatelacounty.com.