Long Beach Unveils Digital COVID-19 Memorial

Long Beach has unveiled a digital memorial honoring the lives lost due to COVID-19. 

The memorial was unveiled on March 9 in remembrance of Long Beach residents who lost their lives due to complications of COVID-19. While Long Beach honors all residents who lost their lives due to the virus, this memorial pays tribute to those whose names and photos were submitted to the city by family and friends. 

This memorial was first announced as Long Beach marked 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths recorded as of September 16, 2021, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Since March 2020, COVID-19 has been the leading cause of death in Long Beach. For comparison, there have been 986 deaths due to all cancers, 835 deaths due to coronary heart disease, 270 due to cerebrovascular diseases, 282 due to Alzheimer’s Disease, 208 due to chronic lower respiratory disease, and 201 due to Diabetes. 

Long Beach’s first death due to COVID-19 complications was reported in late March 2020. That number reached 500 in mid-January 2021. Of the 1,000 people who died since the start of the pandemic in Long Beach. 84 were ages 18 to 49; 213 were ages 50 to 64, and 703 were ages 65 and over. 

Set apart from the digital memorial, Long Beach is also working on creating a COVID-19 Memorial Task Force, which will be composed of city and community leaders. With this task force, the city plans on making a physical COVID-19 memorial in the near future. 

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services still urges everyone to get vaccinated and boosted if eligible. Vaccines are available for everyone 5 years old and older, and people 12 and older who have been fully vaccinated can receive a booster.  People can visit longbeach.gov/vaxlb for information regarding vaccinations.  The city offers vaccine clinics six days a week.  To view the most up to date vaccine clinic schedule and to schedule an appointment, please visit longbeach.gov/vaxlb or call (562) 570-4636. 

No appointment is necessary at city-run vaccine clinics. People may also contact their healthcare provider or area pharmacies or visit myturn.ca.gov to make a vaccine appointment. 

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on what safety measures Long Beach is currently focusing on, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19.  

People can also visit longbeach.gov/COVID19data for real-time information regarding cases and vaccines in the Long Beach area. 

To view the digital memorial, visit https://www.longbeach.gov/insidelb/digital-memorial/.

By Nick Vargas