COVID-19 Deaths, Hospitalizations Surpass December 2021 Levels, Public Health Urges Residents to Help Limit Community Transmission

As deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise in Los Angeles County, surpassing numbers seen at this time last year, Public Health officials are asking residents to play an important role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season by updating their vaccines, masking indoors, testing before gatherings and staying home when sick.

At the end of last week, Los Angeles County remained in the High Community Level based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC designation, despite a decrease in reported cases. There was an average of nearly 2,920 cases reported per day, a nearly 20% decrease from the seven-day average of 3,639 cases reported per day last week.

Los Angeles County, however, witnessed a troubling doubling in the reported seven-day average of deaths per day from two weeks prior, currently to 16 last week, including the county’s 20th confirmed pediatric death. This milestone is a somber reminder of the nearly 34,400 lives lost in Los Angeles County since the pandemic began.

Although the number of reported COVID-19 cases declined slightly in Los Angeles County, they remain more than 120% higher than numbers observed one month ago and wastewater data reaffirms that transmission of COVID is high.  For the most recent week reported, the viral concentration of SARS-CoV-2 observed in wastewater was higher than it was during the peak concentration seen in July during the 2022 summer surge. 

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals is 1,252, very slightly elevated from the prior week when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,245. Based on data collected from 90 hospitals that are polled daily by the LA County Emergency Medical Services Agency, as of Dec. 12, there were 242 available adult beds, including ward and ICU beds. The average number of available beds so far in December is the lowest number reported in the past four years. Contributing factors include high circulating rates of respiratory illnesses and less available staff.

To minimize the transmission and impact of illness during the holidays, residents should think ahead about steps they can take to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory viruses. Importantly, being up to date on vaccines and the new bivalent booster provides essential protection against severe illness associated with COVID and flu.