Do You Want Yet Another Covid Booster Shot? Los Angeles County Health Department Advocates Masks and Boosters, at Least for the Elderly

August 18, 2023 - The County Health Department, which oversees the distribution of free needles to the homeless drug-addicted, has advice regarding an apparent increase in transmission of the Covid-19 virus, including a recommendation to get the new Covid-19 booster that is to be considered for approval next month.

The health department admits that hospitalizations due to Covid are at near-record lows but cautions that individuals over the age of 80 are five times more likely to be hospitalized with covid than people in the next younger age group of 50-79. And those in the 50-79 age group were four times more likely to be hospitalized than the next younger age group of 30-49. The health department did not give the absolute numbers of hospitalizations in these age groups, so the import of the multiplier is unknown. For example, if only 1 person in the entire county is hospitalized in the 30-49 age group in a month, than that means only 4 are hospitalized in the 50-79 age group and only 20 in the 80-plus age group. Furthermore, historically those hospitalized "with Covid" are often actually hospitalized for a different reason and only have Covid in an ancilary fashion.

The county did not give current death rates for those contracting Covid-19. They ceased releasing such data more than a year ago.

The health department, which believes that giving drug addicts access to drug paraphernalia without drug counseling is a positive good, advises residents and those visiting skilled nursing facilities stay up to date on their Covid-19 vaccinations. The county's own data reveals that Covid-19 boosters greatly increase the rate of transmission. (See https://www.smobserved.com/story/2022/08/10/opinion/do-covid-19-vaccines-make-the-public-safer-los-angeles-county-public-health-director-barbara-ferrer-declines-to-say/6964.htm)

To be fair, the press release from the LADPH emphasizes wearing a well-fitting respirator mask as the most effective way to prevent Covid-19 transmission. However, the data on this, as well, is unclear.

Los Angeles County remains in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Low Hospital Admission Level with 4.1 weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, reported on Aug. 14 for the seven-day period ending Aug. 5.

In the entire county of nearly 10 million people, there were 384 reported cases of Covid-19 this past week. Actual numbers are impossible to discover due to the prevalence of at-home Covid tests.