Los Angeles County, California, has reinstated its mask mandate in medical facilities given the notable — although not unexpected — increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, according to the local Health Department.
The county recently reached the mid-level for coronavirus hospital admissions, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This threshold is defined between 10 and 19.9 new hospital admissions for COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants for seven days. The CDC recorded 10.5 new hospital admissions in Los Angeles County during the week ending December 23.
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“While recent increases are significant, they remain considerably below last winter’s peak; common sense protections are strongly recommended to help curb transmission and serious illness in the new year,” the Department of Health said in a statement. a statement.
“Since last week, the average daily reported number of cases has increased by more than 25%, from 495 to 621,” the Department of Health said. “The average daily hospitalizations increased almost 15% in the same period, from 604 to 686, and the county’s hospital admission level rose from 6.5 to 8.3,” he added.
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The statement, dated December 28, adds that “there has also been an appreciable increase in the average daily number of deaths from COVID-19,” reaching 5, compared to 2 at the beginning of December.
“We are starting to see the effects of holiday gatherings; a variant that is probably more contagious, that infects more easily; and low vaccination rates,” explained Dr. Annie Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School, to local media KTLA 5. “And the weather has been cold, so people are gathering indoors,” she concluded. .
