LA County reports another 22 COVID-19 deaths, 1,600 new cases

Los Angeles County recorded different 22 COVID-19 deaths connected Wednesday, Nov. 3, on with much than 1,600 caller cases, though immoderate of those caller infections were the effect of a backlog of investigating results, wellness officials said.

The 22 caller deaths lifted the county’s pandemic decease toll to 26,683, according to the region Department of Public Health.

The region reported different 1,605 caller cases, giving the region a cumulative full from passim the pandemic of 1,496,593. County officials said the cases reported Wednesday included a backlog of 476 affirmative tests from a azygous lab, and the infections dated backmost to past week.

The regular rolling overage complaint of radical investigating affirmative for the microorganism successful the region was 1.2% arsenic of Wednesday.

According to authorities figures, determination were 662 COVID-positive patients hospitalized successful the region arsenic of Wednesday, up from 653 connected Tuesday. Of those hospitalized, 152 were being treated successful intensive care, down from 166 connected Tuesday.

County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted Tuesday that the region has seen increases successful corruption rates and hospitalizations implicit the past week, mirroring trends seen successful immoderate different California counties and overseas successful places including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

“The trends successful different places signify the request to stay vigilant and focused connected preventing a important winter-time surge,” she told the Board of Supervisors.

As of Oct. 28, 80% of region residents aged 12 and up person received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 72% are afloat vaccinated. Ferrer said she is hopeful that the region volition scope 80% afloat vaccination of each residents successful that property radical by the wintertime holidays.

Ferrer connected Tuesday laid retired a matrix of criteria being monitored for a imaginable lifting of mask-wearing mandates astatine ample outdoor events and successful indoor settings specified arsenic workplaces.

To see lifting the mandates, the region indispensable person 3 consecutive weeks of “moderate” microorganism transmission arsenic defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means the region indispensable person a cumulative seven-day caller lawsuit complaint of little than 50 per 100,000 residents. According to the CDC, the county’s existent complaint is 83 per 100,000 residents, landing the region successful the “substantial” transmission category. Ferrer noted that the county’s complaint past week was astir 72.

Other criteria that indispensable beryllium reached to see lifting masking requirements are 3 consecutive weeks of debased hospitalization numbers, a full-vaccination complaint of 80% of residents aged 12 and older, and nary emerging reports of wide circulating COVID-19 “variants of concern” that could pb to caller surges of infections.

For indoor settings of radical little than 1,000 people, including worksites, each of the aforesaid criteria indispensable beryllium met, and specified settings indispensable person a vaccine-verification strategy successful spot and afloat vaccination of each employees and customers, with different requirements for those with approved vaccine exemptions.

Ferrer said she is hopeful the region “can scope a little level of assemblage transmission that positions america to usage the criteria … to assistance the masking requirements.”

“Until then, portion transmission remains substantial, we request to proceed layering connected protections, knowing that important dispersed of the microorganism affects unvaccinated individuals and progressively results successful post-vaccination infections among those vaccinated,” she said. “Substantial dispersed besides creates a fertile breeding crushed for caller variants that tin endanger our advancement to date.”