LA County’s COVID hospitalizations dip below 700

The fig of coronavirus patients successful Los Angeles County hospitals declined somewhat connected Sunday, Dec. 12, aft surging past 700 yesterday amid signs of a wintertime spike successful COVID cases.

There are 698 COVID patients astatine region hospitals, down from 707 connected Saturday, according to the latest authorities figures. The fig of those patients being treated successful intensive attraction is 179, down from 182 a time earlier.

The region confirmed its seventh known lawsuit of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 connected Saturday.

The afloat vaccinated diligent precocious traveled determination successful the United States, had mild symptoms and is self-isolating, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“Public Health has identified adjacent contacts successful Los Angeles County, immoderate of whom person tested negative, and others are awaiting trial results,” officials said. “Additionally, adjacent contacts person been identified extracurricular of the region that are being tested.”

The Omicron cases underscore the captious request for information measures portion traveling, region Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

“All indications are that among those afloat vaccinated, unwellness severity if infected with Omicron is mild, reminding america that each eligible residents request to urgently get vaccinated oregon boosted,” she said. “The vaccines are apt to supply overmuch needed extortion against superior unwellness caused by Omicron and are already known to supply extortion against corruption and illness associated with the Delta variant that continues to predominate crossed the County.”

The Omicron variant has been deemed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization and the CDC. However, it remains unclear if the variant is much easy transmitted oregon tin origin much terrible illness. The antecedently identified Delta variant — blamed for the astir caller surge successful cases nationwide — remains the ascendant mutation successful circulation, representing much than 99% of each COVID specimens that person undergone familial investigating successful the county, Ferrer said this week.

Also Sunday, officials reported 1,460 caller cases of COVID-19 and 5 further deaths associated with the virus, bringing the county’s cumulative totals to 1,547,042 cases and 27,330 deaths since the pandemic began. Sunday’s numbers apt bespeak play reporting delays.

The county’s mean regular complaint of caller infections roseate to 13 per 100,000 residents past week, up from 8 per 100,000 residents the erstwhile week. The seven-day cumulative complaint of infections roseate to 113 per 100,000, moving the region backmost into the class of “high” transmission arsenic defined by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The region was antecedently successful the less-severe “substantial” transmission category. That class requires a region to person a cumulative seven-day transmission complaint of little than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.

Ferrer said Thursday the region is seeing increases successful COVID infections pursuing the Thanksgiving holiday, perchance marking the opening of a feared wintertime surge successful cases. She said that connected Dec. 1, the county’s seven-day mean regular fig of caller cases topped 1,000 — a 19% summation from the erstwhile week.

But Ferrer acknowledged that with the wide availability of vaccines and the payment of much acquisition preventing and treating infections, the region tin beryllium considered “much amended off” than it was up of past winter’s surge, which threatened to overwhelm hospitals.

“I don’t privation to downplay the information that we proceed to present beryllium backmost successful what the CDC classifies arsenic the tier of ‘high’ transmission,” she said. “So we person a batch of assemblage transmission going on. And erstwhile you person a batch of assemblage transmission going connected and there’s tons and tons of opportunities of radical intermingling, you tally the hazard of these numbers conscionable continuing to grow. And each clip they turn and we spot much and much cases, we each cognize it results unluckily successful a higher fig of radical that volition extremity up successful the infirmary and tragically walk away.”

According to the astir caller figures, 83% of region residents aged 12 and implicit person received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 75% are afloat vaccinated. Of each eligible residents aged 5 and over, 77% person received astatine slightest 1 dose, and 69% are afloat vaccinated.

Of the much than 6.15 cardinal afloat vaccinated radical successful the county, 84,931 person tested positive, oregon astir 1.38%. A full of 2,798 vaccinated radical person been hospitalized, for a complaint of 0.046%, and 537 person died, for a complaint of 0.009%.