In what would be the first signal of the start of the top of the Omicron surge in Los Angeles, the 7-day common day by day fee of individuals testing optimistic for the virus has fallen dramatically up to now week. Take a look at positivity is taken into account a greater measure of the speed of unfold than uncooked case counts as a result of it’s a share that’s averaged over per week’s time.
Take a look at positivity has fallen almost 20% over the previous week in L.A. County, reaching 16.5% on Monday. That was down from 20.2% final Tuesday. The speed hit a latest excessive of 26.5% on January 1. Well being officers famous, nevertheless, that even at 16.5%, the speed continues to be eight occasions larger than the two% test-positivity fee one month in the past.
The county Division of Public Well being confirmed one other 31,576 new day by day infections on Monday, a quantity that’s doubtless low resulting from delays in weekend reporting. The day by day depend, which went over 45,000 on Thursday and has typically remained above 40,000 this week, has but to point out important declines.
Well being officers have been elevating issues in regards to the present surge in instances impacting a hospital system already strained by staffing shortages, which have been additional exacerbated by Covid infections amongst well being care professionals.
The variety of Covid-positive sufferers in Los Angeles County hospitals inched upward once more right this moment to 4,564. That quantity has jumped a further 800 day by day instances up to now week, reaching a degree almost six occasions above what it was only one month in the past.
In accordance with California’s CatCAT ensemble forecasting mannequin, the county is ready eclipse its all-time Covid hospitalizations document of seven,926 this week. The hospitalizations surge is predicted to proceed till it hits a brand new document of 13,507 on February 2.
One other 27 virus-related deaths have been additionally reported Monday, a quantity county well being officers point out was incomplete because of the aforementioned reporting delays. Previous to the weekend, the variety of deaths had risen fourfold, from 15 on Tuesday to 65 Friday. Simply as will increase in hospitalizations lag will increase in case counts by about 2-3 weeks, deaths typically lag adjustments in hospitalizations by one other 2 weeks.
The variety of these sufferers in intensive care was 621, a slight discount from 622 a day earlier.
Metropolis Information Service contributed to this report.
