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The fig of coronavirus patients successful Los Angeles County hospitals surged past 700 connected Saturday, Dec. 11, amid signs of a wintertime spike successful COVID cases.
There are 707 COVID patients astatine region hospitals, up from 684 connected Friday, according to the latest authorities figures. The fig of those patients being treated successful intensive attraction is 182, up from 165 a time earlier.
The latest figures travel arsenic section wellness officials reported 1,834 caller cases of COVID-19 and 23 further deaths associated with the virus, bringing the county’s cumulative totals to 1,545,583 cases and 27,325 deaths since the pandemic began.
The county’s mean regular complaint of caller infections roseate to 13 per 100,000 residents this week, up from 8 per 100,000 residents a week ago, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. 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.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday that 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 that 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.”
The region has besides confirmed 2 much cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, including 1 that was locally acquired, portion wellness officials again stressed that vaccines look to beryllium effectual successful preventing superior unwellness from the variant.
The 2 caller Omicron cases revealed Friday bring the full fig confirmed by the region to six. Long Beach, which has its ain wellness department, has confirmed 1 case.
One of the caller Omicron patients had precocious traveled to respective countries successful Africa. The Omicron variant was archetypal detected successful South Africa, wherever it is blamed for a rash of infections.
The diligent was afloat vaccinated, including a booster dose, and developed lone mild symptoms. “Multiple” adjacent contacts of the idiosyncratic were identified, but each were vaccinated and each person tested negative, according to the wellness department.
The 2nd caller diligent had nary caller question history, truthful the corruption has been deemed a lawsuit of section transmission of the variant. The idiosyncratic was besides afloat vaccinated, but without a booster dose, and besides developed lone mild symptoms, wellness officials said. At slightest 1 of the person’s adjacent contacts has besides tested affirmative and is successful isolation. It was unclear if that adjacent interaction besides has the Omicron variant.
“We expect seeing accrued numbers of individuals infected with the Omicron variant arsenic we are opening to spot cases of section transmission among residents that person not traveled,” Ferrer said. “All indications are that among those afloat vaccinated, unwellness severity if infected with Omicron is mild.”
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.
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%.
English (US) ·