Amid rising transmission and a surge in hospitalizations, the Los Angeles County health director on Friday, July 1, urged caution against the spread of COVID-19 during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, when many people There is a possibility of attending parties or large gatherings.
“Given the increasing number of COVID cases and hospitalizations and the increasing prevalence of the more infectious BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, it is additional important to take steps to reduce the risk of transmission, especially during the long holiday weekend, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “It helps us protect ourselves, our families and our community.
“… please be sure to remind friends and family to stay home and skip the celebration if they feel sick or test positive,” she said. “It is also a good idea to have everyone test themselves before getting together, ideally on the day of the gathering. It is always best to celebrate outside, and it is advisable to wear masks if people come indoors to attend gatherings, especially if there are individuals who are at high risk of serious illness. become infected. ,
On Thursday, Ferrer reported a sudden increase in the rate of COVID-positive people being hospitalized in the county, with the average daily rate reaching 8.1 per 100,000 residents, up from 6.6 earlier this week.
If the county reaches 10 new daily admissions per 100,000 residents, it will move into the “high” virus activity category defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the county remains in the “high” category for two weeks in a row, it will reimpose the mandatory indoor mask-wearing mandate.
Ferrer said that at the current rate of increase, the county would fall into the “high” category by July 19. This trajectory has repeatedly changed over the past few weeks as the penetration rate has fluctuated, and Ferrer said it could move again.
The number of COVID positive patients in county hospitals actually dropped slightly on Friday, falling from 808 on Thursday to 791. The number of patients being treated in intensive care stood at 82, up from 74 a day earlier.
The county reported another 7,324 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the total since the pandemic began to 3,125,299. Another 10 virus-related deaths were also reported, bringing the county’s death toll to 32,344.
The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus as of Friday stood at 13.8%.
Ferrer saw a rise in infections related to workplaces on Thursday, and he urged employers to implement infection-control measures in indoor spaces, such as masking and maintaining physical distancing in communal areas. She said one sector in particular – the TV and film industries – has already reimposed an indoor mask mandate, as the county’s hospitalization rate jumped to more than 8 per 100,000 residents.
She said given the continuing high level of virus transmission in the county – especially with the more rapid spread of the highly infectious BA.4 and BA.5 variants – people should already wear masks indoors.
Because masks aren’t mandatory, “people aren’t, I guess, heeding our request that people put those masks back indoors right now.”
She said the evidence is “crystal clear” that masking, especially with high-grade N95 or KN95 masks, works to stop the spread of the virus.
“And it’s not the worst thing,” she said, noting that if more people voluntarily wear masks indoors and help reduce transmission, “it will help us all avoid returning to a necessity.” Will help when you have to put on those masks.”
