Increasing cases of coronavirus in LA County workplaces and schools

Coronavirus cases are increasing in workplaces and schools in Los Angeles County, emphasizing the need to take additional precautions to prevent the outbreak, officials said.

The additional infections documented in these settings reflect that they have been stable for weeks. Increased coronavirus activity The entire county. However, officials say schools and workplaces are usually places where people gather indoors in close proximity for hours at a time, which can increase the risk of infection.

“Businesses, schools, health facilities and other organizations continue to play an important role in promoting safety,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s public health department, Wednesday. “But as we have learned from our experience, slowing the spread is more likely to prevent tragic consequences, and it prevents us from infecting or infecting others. It happens most easily when you pay attention. “

The county has established an early warning framework for coronavirus infection. It evaluates several metrics and classifies them as low, medium, and high concerns. Health officials now consider the number of populations at work and outbreaks at school to be moderate concerns.

Across the county, 108 workplaces reported a new cluster of coronavirus cases last week, up from 82 last week. Weekly K-12 incidence doubled from 6 to 13 during the same period.

According to Ferrer, the number of cases of coronavirus reported among K-12 students and staff has more than quadrupled in the past month. Approximately 300 elementary school students and staff in LA County tested positive for the coronavirus between March 21st and 27th, but the number rose to approximately 1,200 between April 18th and 24th.

“Currently, there are about the same number of cases between students and staff as in mid-February,” Ferrer said, and this increase may have been driven, at least in part, by travel. spring break..

And she went on to say, “There are so many year-end events happening that we will continue to see further increases unless there is a huge difference in the amount of protection each person is taking.” I did.

Overall, the average number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in LA County increased by 25% from last week from 1,734 to 2,168. On a per capita basis, LA County currently aggregates 150 cases per week for every 100,000 residents. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anything over 100 is considered to have a high coronavirus infection rate.

Still, the latest rise is far from the surge seen in December, when cases swelled by more than 100% weekly and, in the worst case, more than 200%.

Current case rates are still well off the peak of winter omicron surges. When the county reported about 42,000 cases per day, or about 2,900 cases per week for every 100,000 residents.

“We’re not at an amazing speed during the Omicron surge,” Feller said during the briefing. “What we are seeing now is this gradual increase, which is more acceptable. This allows us to stand in front of some of the transmissions and actually spread, especially in high-risk settings. We can introduce some measures that can delay. “

Workplaces and schools need to take precautions

Given the current situation, Ferrer has provided recommendations to help Stimmy’s transmission at work and school.

Mask and vaccination: “Wear appropriate and protective masks or respiratory organs when in close contact with others indoors. Get vaccinated. If already fully vaccinated, boost immunization Get a dose or get a second booster dose depending on the time, “Ferrer said. LA County employers must provide appropriate masks to employees who work indoors in close contact with others.

test: Workers and students exposed to the virus should be tested as soon as possible and wear masks indoors around others. A person who has been infected for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period and shares the same indoor airspace as a coronavirus-positive person is considered exposed. At school, authorities highly recommend weekly tests for those who are not completely vaccinated.

Physical distance: “Physical distances in common areas such as rest areas and cafeterias are recommended at work while we are in a period of higher communication,” Feller said.

Quarantine and Quarantine: Symptomatic people need to stay at home and take a test. Asymptomatic people who are in close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus should wear a mask around others for 10 days after the last exposure.

ventilation: Authorities say that improving ventilation can reduce viral infections by installing air filters, turning on air conditioning systems, or simply opening doors and windows.

Tips for other social events, including proms

For those at high risk of complications from COVID-19 and those who live with them, it is wise to work strategically on the rally. Feller provided the following advice:

• Make sure you and other guests are vaccinated and boosted.
• If possible, make the gathering smaller and hold it outdoors.
• For indoor gatherings, open windows and doors and turn on fans to improve airflow.
• Take tests before and after collection, especially if you suspect that you may have been exposed.
• County health officials also continue to recommend that residents wear masks indoors in public places.

Similar advice San Francisco Bay Area During April.

“One of the things you can do to make a safe prom right away is to put it outdoors,” Feller said. “Consider asking people to test before you come. And always recommended for indoor activities [to] Keep the mask on. “

Feller said he believes there is no need to cancel the prom given the availability of protection schools and different levels of attendees. Bay Area health officials gave similar advice, noting that the prom did not suggest limiting capacity.

“I think people need to be cautious, careful and have a good time. I know I don’t want to get sick later or get someone else sick and break that good time,” Feller said. Told.

What do other indicators show?

Despite the recent increase in the number of cases, there are data points that can be reassured.

Detected coronavirus level In the wastewater of LA County It is stable and the test positive rate has risen slightly, slightly above 2%.

Coronavirus-positive hospitalizations appeared to be on the rise a week ago, but have been stable since then, and have fluctuated between about 225 and 250 over the past week. This is not a historic number of pandemics.

“At this point, COVID-19 is not putting pressure on our healthcare system and resources,” says Ferrer.

Also, few patients are positive for coronavirus in the intensive care unit. This number is stable. There were 37 people in LA County on Wednesday. On April 22, the lowest 19 people in history were recorded.

Also note that the stability of hospitalization “may reflect the usual delay between cases and hospitalization, but this is a longer delay than usual. It may reflect the protective effects of inoculation, booster immunization, and treatment, “Feller said.

How about the variant?

Many of the new spikes recorded nationally and worldwide are due to a small number of Omicron subvarieties, including BA.2, the major strain currently circulating throughout LA County and the United States.

It is believed to be about 30% more contagious than the parent strain. Authorities also believe that the new BA.2.12.1 subvariant is 25% more infectious than BA.2.

Hospitalizations are low and stable at this point, but experts warn that mathematical reality is at work. If the number of infectious diseases continues to increase, it is not surprising that hospitalization will eventually be the same.

“Many other communities … nationally, we are beginning to see an increase in hospitalizations associated with the highly infectious BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 variants. These variants are now in the United States. It is widely distributed in many areas of the LA county, “said Feller.

If BA.2.12.1 eventually becomes the dominant stock in LA County, “unless people are more careful than they are now, these increases will continue to be seen in cases,” Feller said. rice field.

COVID-19 deaths have not consistently declined nationwide since early February, when there was a peak of nearly 19,000 Omicrons per week. The CDC on Wednesday released a forecast that the number of new national COVID-19 deaths could increase from the current 2,300 per week to more than 3,000 per week later this month.

“I know most people are tired of pandemics and tired of wearing masks … and a virus to support our desire to return to pre-pandemic life. It’s very attractive to minimize the impact of the virus, “Feller said. “Unfortunately, I think it’s a mistake that can make it difficult for us to adopt strategies that extend protection while minimizing confusion … and serious illnesses among the most vulnerable people. Prevent death. “

Federal funding shortage is affecting LA County

The US government has run out of funds to fund uninsured testing and vaccination, and local governments are concerned about the financial implications it will have on local governments.

According to Dr. Christina Garry, director of LA County Health Services, more than half of all coronavirus tests completed at county-controlled regional test sites last year were for people who said they did not have health insurance. Yes, the inspection was paid by the US Department of Health and Resources. & Service management.

“This creates a financial challenge for the county,” Ghaly said.

LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said Xavier BeseraThe US Secretary of Health and Welfare told her that she did not expect additional funding from Congress before the November elections.

The funding battle has hit various surveillance activities in LA County. Last week, only 3% of coronavirus specimens were analyzed to identify their variants.

“This isn’t really enough to optimally track the circulating variants, identify new variants or sublineages, or actually understand some of the key characteristics of the new variants.” Feller said.

Ideally, LA County would analyze 15% of coronavirus cases and identify their variants, Feller said.

Feller said the sequence decline was caused when the lab that performed most of the LA County analysis lost federal funding to support its work. The county has contacted other labs to share their results and is trying to arrange a contract with a new lab for more analysis.

However, it will probably take another week or two to increase the proportion of coronavirus cases analyzed.