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Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-01/highly-contagious-delta-variant-keeps-rising
Growing alarm over highly contagious Delta variant in L.A. County as cases keep rising
By Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II
July 1, 2021 Updated 4:41 PM PT
Los Angeles County’s top public health official expressed growing alarm about increasing circulation of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, particularly as the region grapples with an uptick in new infections.
While the situation in the nation’s most populous county is nowhere near as dire as over the fall and winter, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the increases seen recently are nevertheless concerning — and are at the heart of this week’s recommendation that even residents vaccinated for COVID-19 should resume wearing face coverings in public indoor settings as a precaution.
“We have enough risk and enough unvaccinated people for Delta to pose a threat to our recovery,” she told reporters Thursday. “And masking up now could help prevent a resurgence in transmission.”
L.A. County averaged about 298 new coronavirus cases a day over the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, an 85% increase from the daily case rate for the seven-day period that ended June 24. Still, the daily case rate is still more than 98% lower than during the peak of the pandemic, when L.A. County was averaging more than 15,000 new cases a day.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have started to tick upward in L.A. County too. As of Wednesday, there were 280 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals in L.A. County, up from 213 on June 19. The latest figure is 97% lower than during the peak of the pandemic.
Average daily COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County remain low, averaging about four deaths a day over the last week.
Only about 50% of Californians, and a similar share of Angelenos, are fully vaccinated at this point.
In a county the size of Los Angeles, that still leaves millions of people exposed to potential future outbreaks.
“Given that we have large numbers of unvaccinated people in Los Angeles County — 4 million in total, including 1.3 million children not yet eligible to be vaccinated — another wave could become a very real possibility,” Ferrer said...
Growing alarm over highly contagious Delta variant in L.A. County as cases keep rising
By Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II
July 1, 2021 Updated 4:41 PM PT
Los Angeles County’s top public health official expressed growing alarm about increasing circulation of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, particularly as the region grapples with an uptick in new infections.
While the situation in the nation’s most populous county is nowhere near as dire as over the fall and winter, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the increases seen recently are nevertheless concerning — and are at the heart of this week’s recommendation that even residents vaccinated for COVID-19 should resume wearing face coverings in public indoor settings as a precaution.
“We have enough risk and enough unvaccinated people for Delta to pose a threat to our recovery,” she told reporters Thursday. “And masking up now could help prevent a resurgence in transmission.”
L.A. County averaged about 298 new coronavirus cases a day over the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, an 85% increase from the daily case rate for the seven-day period that ended June 24. Still, the daily case rate is still more than 98% lower than during the peak of the pandemic, when L.A. County was averaging more than 15,000 new cases a day.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have started to tick upward in L.A. County too. As of Wednesday, there were 280 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals in L.A. County, up from 213 on June 19. The latest figure is 97% lower than during the peak of the pandemic.
Average daily COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County remain low, averaging about four deaths a day over the last week.
Only about 50% of Californians, and a similar share of Angelenos, are fully vaccinated at this point.
In a county the size of Los Angeles, that still leaves millions of people exposed to potential future outbreaks.
“Given that we have large numbers of unvaccinated people in Los Angeles County — 4 million in total, including 1.3 million children not yet eligible to be vaccinated — another wave could become a very real possibility,” Ferrer said...