LA County returns to “high” COVID infection

Health officials in Los Angeles County have warned of the onset of a winter surge, with a total of 1,715 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. Three weeks ago, before Thanksgiving, the county reported about 1,000 cases a day.

The annoying tendency to increase the number of cases is also reflected in the number of people hospitalized for the virus. There were 666 people, an increase of 98 people in just one week.

“We have returned from a substantive infection to a high infection,” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at a weekly press conference Thursday. “We are seeing the possible beginning of a winter surge … This should be seen as an early warning about the upcoming December holidays.”

As of Thursday, the average daily rate of people who tested positive for the virus in the county was 1.5%. The county’s cumulative 7-day case rate estimated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rose to 113 cases per 100,000 inhabitants last week. This rise means that the county has returned to the “high” infection category of the CDC.

About 10 deaths are reported daily from the LA County virus.

“Omicron is a top priority, but Delta is still dominant,” Feller said. “We expect Delta to continue to dominate as a COVID stock in LA County in the coming weeks.”

For over a year, black and Latin American Angelenos were infected with the virus and died at a disproportionately higher rate than Asian and white residents. The pattern continues, Ferrer said.

“The gaps seen between groups reflect the reality that people who have to physically go to work are disproportionately exposed to COVID during the proliferation of infections,” she said. rice field. “Here in LA County, as in many urban areas, many of these workers are black and Latin, and many of them are engaged in important jobs that pay lower wages.”

Children in high-need areas need to be vaccinated at a higher rate, she added, “and frankly, that’s not happening.”

Feller was encouraged to receive boosters and initial vaccinations for more people since Thanksgiving.

“Boosters provided six times more protection with the primary vaccine series alone,” Ferrer said.

Studies have shown that unvaccinated people are at a much higher risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. Only 1.4% of fully vaccinated people in the county experience breakthrough cases.

With more than 230 county testing sites, people can get tested for free, regardless of health insurance or immigration status. Feller advised people to be tested frequently to prevent the virus from spreading during the holidays.

“We’re calling on residents to use tools they didn’t have last year,” she said, saying that the lack of a vaccine a year ago “contributed to the devastating deaths we saw last winter.” Stated. .. “

Feller added: “There’s a lot we all have to do to slow down the transmission, but obviously not everyone does.”

Five Omicron Cases Found in LA County

On December 2, health officials announced that the first case of the Omicron variant was detected in Los Angeles County. Locals may have signed a variant while traveling to South Africa via London. Two more cases of Omicron were detected. One is a recent traveler to West Africa and the other is a USC student who traveled to the East Coast for Thanksgiving.

Long Beach, which has its own health department, announced its first Omicron case on Tuesday. The person was completely vaccinated and recently traveled abroad but did not go to southern Africa.

The fifth case announced on Wednesday is different. Health officials in LA County have stated that this case is a “potential consequence of local infection.” This means that new coronavirus variants are spreading throughout the county’s population. The person is fully vaccinated and boosted.