The Los Angeles Post

LA County Community Level Metrics Continue to Increase as Daily Hospitalizations Reach Highest Number Since Late February

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6,416 New Positive Cases and 18 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As a result of high levels of community transmission over the past month, more residents are experiencing severe illness and death.  The number of COVID-positive hospitalized patients today, at 1,021, is the highest number of hospitalized patients since February 26, and the number of daily deaths today, at 18, is the highest number of deaths since March 30.

While LA County remains at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated Medium COVID-19 Community Level, our hospital admission rate, now at 8.4%, has increased 62% since last month.

Assuming a similar rate of increase in hospital admissions as what was observed the past two weeks, LA County’s hospital admission rate could reach or surpass the 10 admissions per 100,000 people per week threshold that would move the county into High in the CDC COVID-19 Community Levels framework by late next week.

As a reminder, Public Health cannot predict with certainty what the future hospitalization trend will look like; however, it is looking more likely as cases and admissions continue to increase, that the county will enter the high community level designation later this month. Should the county remain in this high level designation for two consecutive weeks, universal indoor masking, in alignment with the CDC, would be implemented across the county.

Since hospital metrics measure the impact of COVID transmission a few weeks after it occurs, Public Health continues to track other metrics that can provide earlier indications of increasing risk, both in the community, and in specific sectors of the county. Currently, six of the seven county Early Alert Signals continue to convey cause for Medium or High Concern.

This week, Public Health is using its Early Alert Signal to track the new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Currently BA.4 and BA.5 combined account for nearly 40% of the specimens sequenced, signaling High concern.

The proportion of Emergency Department (ED) cases that have involved people seeking care for COVID has been steadily increasing, and remains at elevated concern. For the seven-day period ending July 3, 8.4% of ED encounters were classified as COVID-related, significantly higher than the 6% seen at the end of May.

The number of outbreaks per week in Skilled Nursing Facilities also continues to remain in a level of High Concern, though there was a slight decrease, reflecting progress in controlling outbreaks. There were 25 new outbreaks during the seven days ending July 5, a decrease from the 35 outbreaks seen in the week ending June 28.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “With increasing rates of transmission associated with highly infectious subvariants that evade some of the previous acquired immunity from vaccines and previous COVID infections, we are all dealing with elevated risk. We all now face a higher risk of getting COVID because there are more people infected with the virus who can transmit to others when we gather, go shopping, or attend events. Essential workers, especially those that work directly with the public, also now have more exposures to the virus during their workday. Fortunately, we have sensible steps we all can take to reduce this increased risk without forgoing the activities we love. We can wear masks when indoors, test before gathering, and stay home and away from others if we are sick or have tested positive. To reduce stress on the health care system and prevent the worst outcomes of COVID, we can also get vaccinated and boosted, and help those around us get their vaccinations and boosters. And, for those who do get infected, immediately accessing oral medications if eligible can prevent many from developing severe illness.”

Today, Public Health reported 18 additional deaths and 6,416 new positive cases. Of the 18 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18-29, four people were between the ages of 30-49, two people were between the ages of 50-64, four people were between the ages of 65-79, and seven people were aged 80 years or older. Of the 18 newly reported deaths, 16 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 32,413.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,160,032 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 15.7%.

There are 1,021 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,217,954 individuals, with 23% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

For more information:

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,160,032

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

2,989,778

— Long Beach

137,725

— Pasadena

32,529

Deaths

32,413

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

30,707

— Long Beach

1,287

— Pasadena

419

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

92472

– 5 to 11

261019

– 12 to 17

255825

– 18 to 29

661754

– 30 to 49

958958

– 50 to 64

497611

– 65 to 79

196647

–  over 80

63324

–  Under Investigation

2168

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

1528391

–  Male

1379307

–  Other

1359

–  Under Investigation

80721

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

5548

–  Asian

203368

–  Black

151068

–  Hispanic/Latino

1317998

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

15235

–  White

403427

–  Other

334704

–  Under Investigation

558430

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)***

142,835

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

72

–  Asian

3850

–  Black

2860

–  Hispanic/Latino

15703

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

111

–  White

7718

–  Other

307

–  Under Investigation

86