Although case rates appear to be slowly declining, LA County remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC high community level with the increasing proliferation of the highly infectious BA.5 subvariant. Knowing your status is key to slowing the spread as is layering in other safety measures, including masking, to protect yourself and others.
Over the last seven days, the average number of daily new cases was 6,014, an 11% decrease from one week ago when the average number of daily new cases reported was 6,742. Test positivity rate is stable at 15.5%.
The number of people severely ill and needing to be hospitalized appears to be stabilizing. Over the last seven days, the average number of COVID-positive patients per day in LA County hospitals was 1,262, very similar to one week ago when the 7-day average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 1,243.
Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, continue to increase, with an average of 15 deaths reported per day this past week, compared to an average of 12 deaths one week ago.
To help prevent the spread of COVID, testing remains a useful and effective tool. Residents should get tested if they have been exposed, have symptoms, and before and after gatherings and travel. Residents who test positive, even with an at-home test, need to isolate to avoid infecting others. Residents who test negative but have symptoms should remain home and test again in 24-48 hours to be sure they aren’t infected. If a test is still negative, but a person remains ill, they may have another virus/illness. Anyone with symptoms should remain home until they are fever free and symptoms are resolving. Individuals should call their provider if they have concerns about their illness. If an individual does not have a provider, they can call 2-1-1 to get connected to care.
There are several FDA-approved rapid over-the-counter or OTC tests that can be used for self-testing at home, at a business, or at other community settings. Most are antigen tests that provide results in a few minutes, as opposed to laboratory-based PCR tests that may take several days to process.
A third round of at-home tests can be ordered at no charge from the federal government at www.covidtests.gov. Residents who have health insurance can receive eight free at-home tests each month for each insured member in their household. And many community organizations are distributing free test kits to individuals with limited resources. Free OTC testing kits can be picked up at all Department of Public Health vaccination sites.
Individuals with any questions should talk with their health care provider to make sure they understand their viral test results and any next steps. Those without easy access to a health care provider who have questions about their test result and what to do next, can call the Public Health COVID-19 information line at 1-833-540-0473, seven days a week.
