The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Local
    • Palmdale
    • Lancaster
    • Los Angeles County
    • Littlerock
    • Lake Los Angeles
    • Rosamond
    • Edwards AFB
    • Acton
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Advertise
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Show Search

LA County records 38 more COVID deaths; hospital numbers keep falling

by City News Service • March 18, 2022 Leave a Comment

Los Angeles County registered 38 more COVID-19 deaths Friday, along with 723 new infections, while the number of virus-positive patients in county hospitals continued to shrink.

The 38 new fatalities lifted the county’s overall death toll from the virus to 31,443. The county’s cumulative number of infections since the pandemic began rose to 2,820,159. According to state figures, there were 471 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Friday, down from 495 on Thursday. The number of those patients being treated in intensive care was 76, down from 85 a day earlier. The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus in the county was 0.7% as of Friday. That rate has remained largely unchanged for the past week.

County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the county’s virus metrics have continued a steady decline, but said officials are keeping a close watch on the spread of the BA.2 Omicron sub- variant of the virus. BA.2 has been spreading rapidly in some countries, and Ferrer noted that it is believed to be about 30% more contagious than Omicron. The county has recorded cases of BA.2 locally, and Ferrer said it will likely soon become the dominant strain of the virus.

In a statement Friday, Ferrer said that as long the virus continues to spread — even at a far slower pace than during the winter surge — people should continue taking reasonable precautions, particularly in workplaces.

“While we are all enjoying having the surge behind us, many front- line workers, with dozens of worksite exposures each day, remain at higher risk and are worried about becoming infected and possibly spreading COVID-19 to others,” she said. “We ask that everyone continue to layer in, as appropriate, protections for our workforce members who have, throughout the pandemic, taken on personal risk to provide all of us with essential services. I encourage residents to help protect the thousands of front-line workers who are at elevated risk by supporting those businesses who properly protect their workers.”

–

Filed Under: Featured, Health, Los Angeles County

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Comments

  • Mike Mike on Patti LaBelle to perform at Palmdale Amphitheater on July 9: “Well Wendy, if you get hot you can pull your big breast over your head and cool off. Patti is…” May 27, 21:15
  • Edward Pepper on Pedestrian hit, killed on 14 Freeway in Palmdale ID’d: “I knew him as unstable when drinking.” May 27, 20:56
  • I am for the 2nd Amendment on Readers Speak Out! (new): “That is not unreasonable. Good suggestion” May 27, 19:57
  • America's Most Besotted Bumbler on Mail carrier from Palmdale arrested in jobless benefits fraud case: “Non-violent white collar crime ripping off the government rather than an individual, doesn’t seem as punishable to me as violent,…” May 27, 18:38
  • America's Most Deranged Dimwit on Mail carrier from Palmdale arrested in jobless benefits fraud case: ““10% for the big guy.” LOL I’m tall, so I’m gonna have T-shirts made saying that. Maybe I can run…” May 27, 18:30

Copyright © 2022 · The AV Times LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of Use