COVID-19 Facts
How many cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) are in the United States?
Updated 3/17/22
Cases
The total population of the U.S. is 328,200,000 people. Since January 25, 2020, the total number of confirmed and "presumed" COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is 79,445,322 with 964,831 deaths that are confirmed or presumed due to COVID-19. See Center for Disease Control's (CDC's) definition for "presumed" below.
This means that about 24% of the population has or has had a confirmed or "presumed" case of COVID-19, including a 56% increase between December 1, 2021 and February 1, 2022. The percentage of deaths of those who had a confirmed or "presumed" case since the pandemic began has dropped to about 1.2%, as more people have cumulatively contracted COVID-19 and survived it.
Hospitalizations
About 18% of people over 65 years of age who get COVID-19 are hospitalized. 10% of people between 50 and 64 who get COVID-19 are hospitalized. By comparison most people younger than 50 are not hospitalized. Children under the age of 17 are rarely hospitalized.
The percentage of hospitalizations had been decreasing from its 7-day average peak on January 9, 2021, climbed in August, dipped back down last fall and had the highest peak in mid-January of this year, among all age groups. Although more than 88% of people over the age of 65 are fully vaccinated, with more than 64% having received boosters, to date people over 65 years of age continue to have the highest incidents of hospitalization attributed to COVID-19 of all age groups. The higher rate of hospitalization of elderly was evident prior to vaccinations and may now be continuing because of weakened immune response and break through cases with new variants as vaccination effectiveness has waned. See our Vaccines page for more information.
Deaths
Deaths had been decreasing since the highest peak on January 13, 2021, climbed somewhat in August, and began declining again in mid-September. The death rate saw its highest rate this year in early February and dropped since then. It currently is about where it was in August 2020 (5 months into the pandemic). For those confirmed or "presumed" to have COVID-19 nationally, the cumulative death rate (# of deaths in relation to # of cases since the pandemic started) is about 1.2%. This percentage dropped in the last several months after having held steady at 1.6% since January 2021.
According to the CDC, about 18% of all confirmed and presumed deaths due to COVID-19 have been between 50-64 years of age; 22% have been between 65-74 years of age; 26% have been between 75-84 years of age; and about 27% are over the age of 85. Thus, about 93% of all deaths have occurred in people 50 and older. And over 75% of all deaths have occurred in people 65 and older, although that age group represents only about 13% of all cases in the entire population. That means that the virus disproportionately results in a higher death rate in people over 65 years of age, and is 97% times higher than the number of deaths among people aged 18-29. Moreover, among all age groups, approximately 95% of the deaths had other conditions and contributing causes (co-morbidities) involving COVID-19.
Case Classification Resource (Definition of Presumed)
All CDC statistics attributable to COVID-19 are either confirmed or presumed. Presumed cases are defined as any ONE of the following:
- Meets clinical criteria AND epidemiologic linkage without confirmed laboratory testing performed for SARS-CoV-2
- Meets presumptive laboratory evidence
- Meets vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2
More specifics about criteria, epidemiologic linkage and laboratory evidence noted above is in the CDC's August 5, 2020 position statement here.
Who is at risk for a severe infection from COVID-19?
In addition to age being a factor (people 65 and over are at greatest risk), people at any age may be at greater risk for a severe infection if they have certain underlying medical conditions. The risk of severe COVID-19 increases as the number of underlying medical conditions increase. Underlying conditions include (in alphabetical order):
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic lung diseases, including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma
- Dementia or other neurological conditions
- Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
- Down syndrome
- Heart conditions (heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension)
- HIV infection
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)
- Liver disease
- Overweight (body mass index [BMI] of 25 or higher); or Obesity ([BMI] of 30 or higher); the higher the BMI, the risk increases.
- Pregnancy and recently pregnant
- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
- Smoking, current or former
- Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
- Stroke or cerebrovascular disease
- Substance use disorders
Other conditions might be at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Visit the CDC website for more information about underlying medical conditions.
How many cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) are there in Los Angeles County?
Updated 3/17/22
Cases
The total population in Los Angeles County is 10,040,000 people. As of March 15, 2022 in Los Angeles County, since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the total number of confirmed cases is 2,815,379. That means that about 28% of the local population cumulatively has or had a reported case of COVID-19.
Hospitalizations & Deaths
As of March 15, 2022 the 7-day average of people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 was 499, which is less than 1% of the population in Los Angeles County. Approximately 18% of those hospitalized are or were in ICU's across Los Angeles County.
The number of hospitalizations and deaths appear to have peaked in September 2021, declined, and then began rising in early January 2022. At the end of January, they began declining again, with fewer daily deaths. The cumulative number of deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020 is 31,372. That means that the death rate (# of deaths in relation to # of cases) is 1.1%, about the same as the national rate.
Based on last data provided by LA County, about 91% of all patients who have died had underlying medical conditions. See U.S. data above for more information about conditions and co-morbidities.
About 21% of all deaths in LA County due to COVID-19 have been between 50-64 years of age; 34% have been between 65-79 years of age; and 36.7% have over the age of 80. Thus, about 92% of all deaths have occurred in people 50 and older. And more than 70% occurred in people over 65, although that age group only represents 13% of the entire population. That means that the virus disproportionately results in a higher death rate in people over 65 years of age.
Death rate by ethnicity based on last available data is approximately: 50% Hispanic/Latino, 22% White, 12.5% Asian, 8% Black, less than 1% Native American/Pacific Islander and Other Races.
Where can I get up-to-date information?
The information on this page has been obtained from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. You may check back here as we periodically update this information.
Our Resources page also has links to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, City of Los Angeles, and World Health Organization for up-to-date information locally, nationally and worldwide.
The information on this page is provided for general, informational purposes and not personalized medical advice. Please contact your health care provider for medical advice specific to your situation. If you are having a medical emergency please call 911.