COVID-19 hospitalization numbers continued an unsettling upward climb in Los Angeles County Monday, with state figures showing more than 800 people now being treated for the virus, more than double the number from just two weeks ago.
According to the state, there were 825 people hospitalized due to COVID in the county, up from 745 the day prior. On July 12, there were only 372 people hospitalized in the county.
There were 182 people in intensive care, up from 161 on Sunday, according to the state.
The numbers, while increasing, are still well below the more than 8,000 people hospitalized during the winter surge.
Los Angeles County also reported another 1,966 COVID cases on Monday, a day on which numbers are traditionally lower due to reporting lags from the weekend. The new cases lifted the cumulative county total from throughout the pandemic to 1,285,771. Another four deaths due to COVID were also reported, raising the county’s death toll to 24,631.
Health officials have repeatedly blamed the recent surge in cases on the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant was first discovered in India and is blamed for rampant infections in that country, along with outbreaks in the United Kingdom. It is now spreading across the United States, contributing to rising case numbers and hospitalizations. The average daily rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the county was 5.2% as of Monday, up from 4.8% reported on Sunday.
County health officials said last week unvaccinated people are five times more likely to be infected by COVID-19 as vaccinated people. On Monday, state officials said the average daily infection rate among unvaccinated people was nearly seven times higher than that of vaccinated people. Although some fully vaccinated people have still been infected with COVID-19, they are highly unlikely to become seriously ill or require hospitalization, health officials said.
“As we continue to experience significant community transmission fueled by the Delta variant, every effort to reduce spread is important,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “This includes the additional layer of masking and testing protections the state health officer order requires at health care and high-risk congregate living facilities. Every worksite in L.A. County also has an opportunity to reduce virus transmission by adhering to the requirement that all employees and customers wear their masks indoors. We need the additional protection while more individuals get vaccinated if we want to get back to low rates of transmission.”
Figures provided by the county Thursday showed that 5.3 million of the county’s roughly 10.3 million residents are fully vaccinated, a rate of roughly 52%. About 1.3 million county residents are ineligible for shots because they are under age 12.
Young Black and Latino residents continue to have the lowest rates of vaccination in the county. Black residents also had the highest rate of new infections over the last month, at 181 per 100,000 residents, according to the county. Latino/a residents have traditionally had one of the highest infection rates throughout the pandemic, but over the past month, white residents accrued a higher rate, at 83 per 100,000 residents. Latinos had an infection rate of 62 per 100,000 residents. Black residents also had the highest rate of hospitalizations over the month, followed by Latinos and whites.
In hopes of encouraging more people to get vaccinated, the county is continuing to offer incentives. Through Thursday, anyone who gets vaccinated at sites operated by the county, the city of Los Angeles or St. John’s Well Child and Family Center will be entered for a chance to win one of seven three- concert ticket packages at AEG venues, for a variety of acts.
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Billy-Bart says
The vaccine, a messenger RNA spike specifically coded to manipulate your immune system, once you’ve had your second jab it’s official, you are a GMO (e.g., genetically modified organism) –
Talin Mirzaians says
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Randy says
800 people in a county of more than 10,000,000 are being hospitalized and we’re shutting down again?!?
Look at the numbers. That’s .008% of the population.
This is insane.
Tim Scott says
We should definitely wait until the ICUs at the hospitals are full and turning people away to die and then panic, like they do in the well governed states with Republicans in charge, AmIRite?
How many ICU beds do you think there are in LA County Randy? Any idea? How many respirators? How many of those are “extras” that before covid were just sitting empty and idle waiting for a pandemic as opposed to being pretty consistently used to generate profits for the hospita….errrr…were in use saving the lives of patients with concerns other than covid?
See, this is the part the daft Republicans don’t seem to get. “Only 800 patients” is two medium sized hospitals worth. Do you think that before covid came along LA County had two medium sized hospitals just standing around empty somewhere, waiting? Our entire health care system is based in FOR PROFIT. Empty hospitals, empty beds, those aren’t profitable. 800 covid patients aren’t just getting put in some infinite endless supply of ‘hospital,’ they are displacing the patients that would normally be there.
Remember how people used to cry the blues about the wait time at the ER Randy? You think that wait time was because the ER staff was lost in some vast sea of empty beds?
Randy says
I’m looking a numbers.
You’re drawing party lines and spewing hate-filled vitriol.
Tim Scott says
We’re looking at the same number. 800. I accepted that bumber from you without even checking if it was accurate.
I’m asking you how you think 800 covid patients added into the always pretty much full hospitals of LA County is something to just not bother being concerned about. I didn’t “spew hate.” I just asked questions that you apparently can’t answer so now you are gonna cry “mean man hurt me” about it instead of taking responsibility for having shot off your mouth without thinking the problem through.
Randy says
I don’t argue with people incapable of rational and objective discussions without personal attacks.
Have a good one Tim.
Tim Scott says
What was personal there Randy? I asked questions. You seem offended by your own inability to answer them.
Arguing is futile says
Randy; Good to see a mature post about how not to engage with an argumentative person.
Tim Scott says
Well, his bow out post was certainly an improvement from the initial disinformation spew he posted, I’ll give him that.
Merton says
… 2022 midterms soon to be upon us, the whacked-out democrats want you shamed, abjectly humiliated, and reduced, to a constant state of fear –
William says
Uh, Merton
Didn’t Trump humiliate, shame and reduce you already while he played to your fears?
Of course he did.
Now, you want to point elsewhere for your fear-based life.
You Trumpers are a lost cause. That’s why you act so desperate. THE END IS NEAR FOR THE GOP.
Tim Scott says
What democrats want is irrelevant…if you are a Republican and are not ashamed of your party and humiliated by the results of having adopted Trumpism already you have no conscience.