For the ninth straight week, the number of new COVID-19 cases identified in Los Angeles County has increased. This week the Department of Public Health reported the highest number of infections since February 13.
The main drivers of new cases are still the high transmission rate of the BA.2 subvariant and the large number of End of school events. Recommendations to continue masking indoors and taking a COVID-19 test before large gatherings have done little to slow the trend.
That Crosstown COVID Tracker provides the latest and most important data on infections, vaccinations and general risks. Information on cases in individual municipalities can be found on the Crosstown interactive coronavirus map.
infection detection
On Wednesday, the seven-day moving average of new cases hit 4,011, a level not seen in three months. That’s a 26.6% increase from the average reported a week earlier.
Weekly COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County, April 20 through May 24
The daily test positivity rate also continues to trend upwards. On Wednesday it reached 3.8%. Three months ago, the positivity rate was 1.9%.
Los Angeles County COVID-19 positivity rate, February 15 through May 24
While the rise in cases and positivity are worrisome, the numbers remain well below those seen during January’s Omicron surge and previous surges. In addition, the burden on the regional health system remains relatively low.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health reported 410 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county. That’s less than 10% of the 4,814 coronavirus patients hospitalized on Jan. 28, the peak of the Omicron wave.
Vaccinations and booster shots have kept many sick people from going to the hospital. In addition, treatments with antiviral drugs can help reduce the severity of an infection.
Los Angeles County COVID-19 hospitalizations, February 15 through May 24
Still, hospital admissions have bounced back from recent lows. Fewer than 300 residents in the county were hospitalized in April.
The number of deaths also remains at a level not seen since the beginning of the pandemic. On Wednesday, the Department of Health reported 6 deaths, bringing the seven-day average deaths to 7.
Like the wider region, the Los Angeles United School District saw increases in both cases and test positivity, although again they remain relatively low. From May 19th to 25th, the LAUSD identified itself 3,352 positive results out of the 352,390 tests performed. The positive test rate was 0.95%, up from 0.72% last week.
The LAUSD academic year ends in June.
All about the kids
The number of new or additional shots being given throughout Los Angeles County remains low, despite ongoing efforts to get people to get vaccinated.
From May 19 almost 1.6 million county residents 5 years and older had not received a single dose. More than 3.4 million people do not benefit from the protection of the booster vaccination.
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According to the state of California’s COVID-19 tracking page, residents in the county were not vaccinated in the week ended May 1 7.4 times more likely Hospitalization as fully vaccinated and refreshed individuals. From April 18-24, unvaccinated residents were 9.1 times more likely to die than those who had been boosted.
In Los Angeles County, 37.9% of children ages 5 to 11 received at least one dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved boosters for children in this age group last week.
18,897,204 vaccine doses were administered in Los Angeles County. A year ago, 9,501,064 vaccines had been distributed.
How we did it: We analyzed coronavirus data related to new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and immunizations provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health and Human Servicesas well as data from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Interested in our data? Try this Crosstown interactive coronavirus map or E-Mail [email protected].
