The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals rose to over 600 on Saturday amid concerns about a further possible spike in infections this fall and winter and the presence of the new variant of Omicron in Los Angeles County.
According to the latest state figures, there were 610 COVID patients in the county hospitals on Saturday, up from 572 on Friday. 146 of them were in intensive care, just one more than on Friday.
The county also reported 20 new COVID deaths and 2,307 new COVID cases on Saturday.
The county reported 1,942 new cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional deaths related to the virus on Friday, bringing its cumulative total to 1,532,430 cases and 27,225 deaths since the pandemic began.
The moving average daily rate of people who tested positive for the virus was 1% on Friday.
Meanwhile, a rapid test site opened at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday to offer free – but voluntary – COVID testing to incoming international passengers.
The COVID testing at Tom Bradley International Terminal is offered on a voluntary basis only as there is no federal requirement for incoming passengers to be tested.
“The federal government strongly recommends getting tested,” said the district’s public health director Barbara Ferrer on Thursday. “We’ll also have our healthcare workers out there talking to people and making sure they understand the importance of tests. We use a rapid antigen test there so that people get their results before they leave the airport. “
The heavily mutated variant of the coronavirus known as Omicron has arrived in LA. Hetty Chang will report for NBC4 News on December 2, 2021 at 11 p.m.
She added that anyone who tests negative will be given a take away test kit so they can test again three to five days later.
Health officials are again calling to get tested for COVID if they develop symptoms, including if they have traveled either overseas or to states with high virus transmission rates over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“When we step into winter and take the Omicron variant, applying the lessons learned from the last two years will make a big difference to friends and families preparing for the holidays and those who are most at risk make, “Ferrer said in a statement on Friday. “We are grateful to our partners for the encouraging trends, as at least 80% of people living with homelessness have received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and appreciate the continued efforts to improve coverage.”
The county’s health ministry reported a further decline in the infection rate among the homeless on Friday, with only 44 new cases for the week that ended November 14, compared with 63 in the week of October 11.
Just hours after announcing plans for the airport test facility on Thursday, the county confirmed the first local case of the Omicron variant, classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control last week for prevention this week.
The variant was first discovered in South Africa and has since spread to dozens of other countries and several countries. US states. The first US case was confirmed in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The local Omicron patient, confirmed late Thursday afternoon, is a Los Angeles County resident who returned to the area on Nov. 22 after traveling to South Africa via London. The infection was classified as “most likely related to travel”. The unidentified patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and has symptoms that are improving, health officials said. The person’s close contacts all tested negative for the virus.
It is still unclear whether the variant is more highly transmissible than other forms of the virus, causes more serious illnesses, or can evade the protection of the current vaccines. But its rapid spread in South Africa has sounded the alarm, especially ahead of the winter vacation season and the trips and gatherings that come with it.
According to the county’s latest numbers, of the more than 6.1 million fully vaccinated people in the county, 80,445 tested positive, or about 1.32%. A total of 2,680 vaccinated people were hospitalized at a rate of 0.044%, and 503 have died, which is a rate of 0.008%.
So far, 83% of the district residents aged 12 and over have received at least one vaccination dose and 74% are fully vaccinated. Of all eligible residents aged 5 and over, 76% have received at least one dose and 68% are fully vaccinated.
Black residents still have the lowest vaccination rate, with only 55% receiving at least one dose. The rate is 60% among Latinos / a residents, 73% among white residents and 82% among Asians.
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