Los Angeles County’s 43,712 new Covid infections today is the highest daily total of the entire pandemic, breaking a record set just 24 hours before, when 37,215 new cases were announced. Thursday’s number had, in turn, skyrocketed up over 10,000 cases from 26,754 the day before.
The county had 21,790 daily new cases on Tuesday. In other words, the county saw more than twice the number of infections over the week. And the starting point — Tuesday’s 21,790 — was at that point a near record.
Put another way, Friday’s 43,712 new Covid infections accounts for more county residents than the entire populationBeverly Hills and Culver City.
Widespread infection is driving the increase. The county’s 7-day rolling average of people testing positive was 20.9% as of Friday. That’s up from 11.4% just two weeks before. Even that near-record test-positivity rate may be artificially low, according to county health officials, due to the number of people who use take-home tests and don’t report the results.
The expected rise in hospitalizations has been accompanied by an increase in case numbers. As of Friday, state statistics showed that 2,902 Covid positive patients were in L.A. hospitals. This was up from 2661 on Thursday. Three-quarters of the hospitalized patients were now being treated in intensive care units (up from 352 one day earlier).
While still well short of the peak hospitalization numbers seen last winter — when more than 8,000 COVID-positive patients filled hospitals — the rising number is still generating concern. The state’s composite forecast predicted record numbers of hospitalizations in California by early February.
What’s more, health care facilities are finding themselves increasingly short-staffed, in part because of Covid infections among health care workers.
According to the county Department of Public Health 973 infections among healthcare workers were reported in the week ending September 30, a 47% increase over the previous week. That rise comes despite the relatively high rate of health care workers who’ve been vaccinated — showing the power of the Omicron variant of the virus to infect even vaccinated residents, although they are less likely to become severely ill.
All state health care workers must receive a booster vaccine dose by February 1. The booster dose must be administered to all health care workers.
“Vaccinated individuals are between 10 and 30 times less likely to need hospital care than those unvaccinated,”Barbara Ferrer, the county’s Public Health Director, spoke this week. Of the county’s overall population of 10.3 million people, 67% are fully vaccinated.
Due to increasing infection rates, the county decided to amend its public-health order. This requires employers to provide improved masks for employees who are indoors and in close contact with others.
The amended order also changed the definition of outdoor “mega events,”Masking may be required for a maximum of 5,000 people. Indoors is defined as a group that includes more than 5,000 people. “mega”Events for 500 people or more The numbers align with those in the state’s health order. The county’s order also “recommends”Only designated dining areas are allowed to serve food and drinks.
The county’s new mask requirements for county workplaces mirror an order issued late last week by K-12 schools. It requires teachers and staff to use higher-grade face covers. USC announced that all staff and students will be required to wear higher-grade masks once in-person classes resume.
Twenty-eight new fatalities reported Friday lifted the county’s overall death toll to 43,712 since the pandemic began.
City News Service contributed to the report.