The Los Angeles Post

As COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Rise, Boosters and Masking in Indoor Public Spaces Strongly Recommended

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4,744 New Positive Cases and 14 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LA County is experiencing large increases in the number of reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The 7-day average case count in the county is 3,053, a nearly 44% increase from one week ago when the 7-day average of 2,121 cases was reported. And over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals is 1,056, an increase of 39% from last week when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 760.

The county’s case rate is now 185 new cases per 100,000 people, and the COVID-19 hospital admission rate is 11.9 per 100,000 people, moving the CDC community level designation from low to medium.  While moving into the Medium Community Level will not change required mitigation strategies in LA County, it does signal that case rates and hospitalizations are elevated and the county could be in the High Community Level as soon as next week if the case rate reaches 200 cases per 100,000 people.

Emerging strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are likely contributing to higher COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations across Los Angeles County. With high prevalence of the new dominant strains BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 (descendant of BA.5), all residents should follow common sense precautions that work to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses, including wearing a high-quality mask that fits well in indoor public spaces and getting the new updated Fall COVID-19 booster.

Current county data shows that the subvariant Omicron BA.5 is rapidly losing dominance. The subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. now account for the second and third greatest number of sequenced specimens respectively, and combined, the BQ strains make up 38% of specimens, surpassing BA.5, which is at about 36%.

With mounting evidence that the new bivalent booster, specifically formulated to provide protection against BA.4 and BA.5, provides significant additional protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, increasing the number of people boosted can mitigate the waning immunity of the monovalent doses. Unfortunately, only 16% of eligible LA County residents have received the updated bivalent booster – and six million residents are currently eligible who have not yet taken advantage of this additional defense. Everyone in LA County who is 5 years or older, and received their primary series or last booster more than two months ago, is eligible for the updated bivalent booster.

Within people age 65 and older, who statistically are more likely to have severe outcomes from COVID-19, uptake, while double that of the general population, remains concerningly low. Nearly 70% of older eligible residents, or about 880,000 people, have not yet received the updated booster.

The updated Fall COVID-19 boosters, plus flu vaccines, are readily available at Public Health sites, pharmacies, and other locations across the county. Seniors and residents who can’t easily leave their home can contact Public Health telehealth services at (833) 540-0473, seven days a week, from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm to arrange for at-home COVID-19 Fall booster and primary series vaccinations or transportation to a vaccination center.

Telehealth services can also be used to speak to a provider about therapeutics if you have tested positive for COVID-19 and are having symptoms. Taken within 5 days of symptom onset, Paxlovid can decrease the risk of hospitalization. Insurance is not required, and callers can be assisted in multiple languages.

Residents can also go to VaccinateLACounty.com to find nearby vaccination sites, request a mobile vaccination team for your worksite or community event, or an in-home visit if you or someone you know is homebound.

“I want to acknowledge the loss felt in local communities, particularly over the holidays, and to send my condolences to those who are grieving a loved one who has died,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “While there still is uncertainty about what the impact of COVID-19 will be this winter, there is mounting evidence that we are entering another COVID-19 surge. In some ways this surge is likely to be different – we know more about COVID, have tools to help mitigate severe outcomes, and we are more aware of symptoms and when to take action. On the flip side, this will be the first winter where we are facing rising levels of COVID, with emerging new strains we know less about, along with unusually high flu and RSV activity. There is a common line of thinking that the pandemic is over, that COVID-19 is no longer of concern. But given both the increases in hospitalizations and the lack of certainty in the winter trajectory for COVID-19, it’s important to continue common-sense mitigation strategies that we know work to limit transmission and illness, including masking and being up-to-date on vaccines and boosters.”

Today, Public Health reported 14 additional deaths and 4,744 new positive cases. Of the 14 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 30 to 49, one person was between the ages of 50-64, five people were between the ages of 65-79, and six people were aged 80 years or older.  For information on the one death reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 14 newly reported deaths, 12 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 34,213.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,552,019 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 12.2%.

There are 1,171 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,736,245 individuals, with 25% 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:

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Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,552,019

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

3,359,846

— Long Beach

154,699

— Pasadena

37,474

Deaths

34,213

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

32,438

— Long Beach

1,339

— Pasadena

436

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

– 0 to 4

105,988

– 5 to 11

277,267

– 12 to 17

271,718

– 18 to 29

729,895

– 30 to 49

1,080,459

– 50 to 64

574,539

– 65 to 79

238,034

–  over 80

79,554

–  Under Investigation

2,392

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

–  Female

1,727,647

–  Male

1,543,673

–  Other

1,648

–  Under Investigation

86,878

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

6,400

–  Asian

244,348

–  Black

173,849

–  Hispanic/Latino

1,448,609

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

17,017

–  White

460,573

–  Other

382,419

–  Under Investigation

626,631

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

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

161,042

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

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

77

–  Asian

4,143

–  Black

3,032

–  Hispanic/Latino

16,234

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

113

–  White

8,398

–  Other

362

–  Under Investigation

79