Coronavirus cases are on the rise again in Los Angeles County, raising renewed alarm calls by health officials to redouble efforts to protect against the spread of the virus.
While “not as extreme as we saw in July,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s director of public health, “we’re very concerned that the numbers could increase.”
“This number shows real and alarming growth, and the next two weeks will be crucial,” he said during a briefing on Monday. “As we go through our colder months and holidays, we worry about more and more transmission of the virus and more hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19.”
Officials in LA County announced at least 2,000 new coronavirus infections every day from Thursday to Sunday.
On Monday, the county reported further
There are 1,431 new cases, but Ferrer said the number is usually lower at the beginning of the week due to weekend reports.
Prior to the recent spate, according to the Times Tracker, the county’s daily case count exceeded 2,000 in the last time without a backlog in the 15th Aug Gust report.
During the seven-day period that ended on Sunday, Los Angeles County reported more than 13,000 cases, up 38% from the previous week and the highest number of weekly cases in more than two months.
The increase in cases has been stable and sustainable. In early October, LA County reported about 940 new cases of coronavirus every day for an average of seven days. During the seven-day period that ended on Sunday, an average of 1,860 cases were reported per day.
“This is no longer a coup. This isn’t it, ‘Oh, you know, we had a bad weekend. And, you know, we’re back in control, “said Ferrer. “It simply came to our notice then. And if this continues, it is very worrying to see this level of growth grow in our most esta months. “
Ferrer said the alarming numbers should be a way for Angelinos to reintroduce himself into the -f-rated protocols for how to prevent re-transmission: wear a mask in public, keep a physical distance from those with whom you do not live, at home when you are sick. Stay tuned, wash your hands regularly and avoid gatherings.
She warned that any retreat from the practice could endanger the health of residents, but also jeopardize the county’s ability to open up more businesses and other public spaces.
“We don’t have the luxury of ignoring our individual and collective responsibilities if we want to see more children go to school and businesses stay open,” he said. “When you have thousands of new cases every day, the recovery does not continue. And many of these cases come from risk takers who are clearly not right. Playing by the rules isn’t that difficult, especially since these rules keep some people alive and allow our economy to improve. “
Have become a special concern for health officials.
Experts and health officials across the state have been urging residents for weeks to avoid gatherings as much as possible, or at least to take precautions such as wearing face masks, going out of the house and keeping at least six feet away from other household members.
Such measures are now all the more important, as California is currently considering avoiding large spikes planted in many other areas of the country, officials say. The United States on Monday officially surpassed 100 million total confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
LA County alone has not seen an increase in the difficulty of coronavirus infection. Santa Clara County reported 358 new cases on Sunday – its highest daily total, 155 behind 385 on July.
“These trends serve as a perfect reminder that the Covid-19 is all around us,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s health officer and director of public health, in a statement. “Each of us needs to redouble our efforts to keep our community safe.”
Statewide, the seven-day average of new cases is 5,889, compared to the 14-day average of 5,060.
If the current case trend should be, it is conceivable that California could reach 1 million reported coronavirus cases this weekend.
The state is also certain to surpass another difficult target in the very distant future: 18,000 deaths.
As to why the numbers are rising in California, government Gavin News said Monday: “It’s for obvious reasons: people give their guards down.
“They are taking off their masks; They are starting to gather outside their home set; They are starting to see businesses reopen; And we’re starting again – for more people to see the mix, “he said. “As it cools, we’ll see more. So this was to be expected. This does not surprise anyone. “
California has also seen its positivity rate – the proportion of people tested positive for coronavirus – rise to 1.1% in the last week, according to the latest state figures. In late September, the share of Californians who tested positive for COVID-19 in the first week fell below 3% for the first time.
In the last 14 days, the total number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in California has risen from 2,334 to 3,001 – an increase of 28.6%, according to the numbers released by News on Monday.
Intensive care admissions for COVID-19 patients also rose to 839 from 659 two weeks ago.
Newsom May said the state’s healthcare system still has plenty of capacity at the moment, as Covid-19 patients currently take only 4% of hospital beds and 11% of patients in ICUs.
Although there has been promising news recently on the vaccine front – Pfizer announced Monday that preliminary data on its coronavirus vaccine candidate suggests that shots may be 90% effective in preventing disease – News insisted that Californians should not view it as a silver bullet. , Large-scale distribution of any vaccine is not imminent.
“I am concerned, to be honest, that we can be happier because we now feel that we have a safe and effective vaccine available and people can return to their original form.” “It simply came to our notice then. It is imperative that we recognize two things: getting ready to be vaccinated. That’s the good news. But for you and me and beyond our first answers, the availability of others outside of our healthcare professionals has been missing for months. “
Despite the upheaval, the number of recently reported weekly coronavirus cases in California is far from the peak seen in the summer. In the seven-day period that ended Thursday, nearly 34,000 cases were reported in California, half of the state’s worst week, July 17-23, when 66,341 cases were diagnosed.
In comparison, more than 662,000 cases were reported in the United States last week – the second consecutive weekly record.
During epidemics, and especially during the summer period, officials have consistently pushed the point that personal preferences – whether to wear a mask in public, whether to attend a party, whether to stay home if sick – are as big as every bit Play a role in shaping the future of COVID-19 as a broader public policy decision.
Secretary of State for Health and Human Services Dr. “We know that epidemics have changed our lifestyles,” Mark Galli said during a briefing last week. “We have all made sacrifices – with some we are fine, others are really hard – and each of these sacrifices helps us slow down the spread of covid in our state. And I would say that the people of California have done an incredible job.
He added, “We have to continue these efforts, as we know that cases can skyrocket quickly.”
This is especially likely to be a hassle as falling temperatures push people more and more indoors and the upcoming holidays inspire people to celebrate with family and friends.
Chief Science Officer of the LA County Department, Dr. Paul Simon, “We understand that people are very fed up with this covid world, and we hope that in the new year, there will be some new strategies that will control our spread.” Public Health, said during a briefing last week. “But at the moment, definitely through Thanksgiving and the December holiday season … we really disappoint the gatherings outside your home.”
The report is contributed by Associated Press and Times staff writers Iris Lee and Sean Green.
