COVID-19 Circulation Remains Elevated in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health or Public Health reports that the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses remains elevated despite some COVID-19 metrics — including cases, hospitalizations and deaths — decreasing slightly over the past week.

In Los Angeles County, wastewater concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appear to be plateauing at a high level, with concentrations at 67% of last year’s winter peak for the week ending Jan. 13, similar to the concentrations for the previous week. Wastewater concentrations provide a more complete picture of COVID-19 transmission levels than reported cases alone.

Other indicators have declined but remain at heightened levels. The reported daily average of COVID-19 cases decreased to 422 this week from 462 the previous week. Reported cases do not include home test results, so the actual number of COVID-19 infections in the community is much higher. The daily average of COVID-positive hospitalizations decreased to 727 for the week ending Jan. 20, from 776 a week earlier. Public Health is reporting an average of 4.9 deaths per day for the week ending Jan. 1, a decrease from 5.6 deaths per day reported for the previous week.

Flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV also continue to spread at lower but still elevated levels in Los Angeles County. There was an average of 263 influenza-positive hospitalized patients per day for the week ending Jan. 13, a decrease from the average of 384 influenza-positive hospitalized patients per day the week before. Data from sentinel surveillance laboratories shows that for the week ending Jan. 13, 12.4% of specimens tested for influenza and 7.8% of specimens tested for RSV were positive, compared to 13.8% and 9.4%, respectively, the previous week.

Because COVID-19 and other respiratory virus indicators remain elevated, sensible precautions, such as getting vaccinated and, if sick, staying home, testing, and seeking treatment are still strongly recommended, especially for older adults and other people at higher risk for severe illness. Getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. At least one dose of the updated vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older. For more information about vaccines, visit ph.lacounty.gov/vaccines. 

For more information on precautions against respiratory viruses, visit the Public Health website.

For free and reliable information about COVID-19 and other health-related topics, call the Public Health InfoLine at 1-833-540-0473.