After months of decline, Los Angeles County well being officers on Friday, Nov. 4, reported a pointy enhance within the common day by day variety of new COVID-19 infections, once more elevating issues about an impending winter spike in instances.
The seven-day common day by day variety of infections rose by 10% over the previous week, in keeping with the county Division of Public Well being, leaping from 988 new instances per day to 1,083.
“With current unusually excessive ranges of flu and different respiratory ailments, there are indicators the county might be headed towards a COVID surge this fall and winter,” county Public Well being Director Barbara Ferrer stated in a press release Friday. “As households are about to begin their vacation journey and get-togethers, it continues to be vital to observe easy steps to forestall respiratory sickness and COVID-19. The primary, and most vital, well being measure we are able to take is to obtain the brand new COVID-19 bivalent booster if we’re no less than two moths out from our final dose.”
She additionally urged residents to obtain a flu shot and observe infection-control measures reminiscent of hand-washing, mask-wearing and staying dwelling if sick.
In keeping with the county, whereas 85% of residents aged 5 and older have obtained their preliminary COVID vaccinations, solely 11% of these eligible have taken benefit of the brand new bivalent booster, which is designed to fight the at the moment circulating Omicron variants of the virus.
Ferrer urged residents to go to vaccinatelacounty.com to discover a vaccination web site.
The county on Friday reported 1,447 new COVID infections and 7 new virus-related fatalities.
The brand new instances gave the county an total complete from all through the pandemic of three,493,150, whereas the cumulative loss of life toll rose to 33,999.
The typical day by day charge of individuals testing constructive for the virus additionally ticked up barely, reaching 5% as of Friday.
In keeping with the county, there have been 453 COVID-positive sufferers in county hospitals as of Friday, up from 419 a day earlier.
County officers have stated that about 40% of COVID-positive sufferers have been truly admitted to hospitals resulting from virus-related sickness, whereas the others have been admitted for different causes, and in lots of instances solely studying they have been contaminated after they have been examined on the hospital.