Public Health Monitors Small Signs of Increasing COVID-19 Transmission

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reminds residents to take common-sense precautions to avoid becoming ill with COVID-19 as data shows small increases in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, virus concentrations in wastewater and the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests for the past four weeks. 

With traveling and gatherings increasing during summer, protection from COVID-19 infection remains important as a new group of variants has begun to circulate nationwide. The so called “FLiRT” variants, including KP.2 and KP.3 variants, descendants of Omicron variants JN.1, are causing an increasing proportion of cases in the United States. While these variants may have some mutations that make them more easily transmissible, there are no indications that these variants may cause more severe illness.  

Last week, Public Health reports 106 average daily COVID-19 cases, a small increase from the 83 cases reported the week prior. Reported cases are an undercount, due to the large number of at-home COVID test results that are not reported to Public Health.  

Wastewater concentrations of SARS CoV-2, the virus that results in a COVID-19 infection, are at 16% of the most recent winter peak, an increase from 11% reported the week prior, indicating that transmission is still occurring. Wastewater concentrations may provide more accurate information about COVID-19 transmission levels than reported cases alone.  

Public Health is reporting an average of 19.6 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per day, a small increase from 16.9 three weeks ago. The 7-day average number of daily COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County is 102. Nine percent of hospitalized COVID patients this past week were in intensive care units.

COVID-19 deaths remain relatively low and stable. Public Health is reporting 1 daily average COVID-19 death this week.

While COVID-19 transmission patterns continue to evolve, Public Health encourages residents to take simple precautions to reduce transmission. Summer plans can easily be disrupted by COVID-19 illness and increased transmission continues to pose more risk for the elderly. 

More information is available at ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDtests. 

For information about where to get vaccinated, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/vaccines

The free Public Health InfoLine is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1-833-540-0473. 

Data and dashboards on COVID-19 are updated weekly at Public Health COVID data webpage.