Wastewater Surveillance Shows Plateauing in Viral Concentrations - 1,682 New Positive Cases and 6 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With more individuals using over-the-counter (OTC) tests to assess COVID infections, the county COVID case rate, which doesn’t include the results from OTC tests, may underestimate the level of transmission. Fortunately, Public Health is able to utilize wastewater surveillance to detect significant changes in viral loads or new variants.

Presently, there are four wastewater treatment plants that perform viral surveillance for SARS-CoV-2.

The two largest plants are the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant and the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant, serving about 7.5 million LA County residents across most of the county. At the Hyperion Plant, although viral concentrations declined notably in the first half of September, there was a small increase this past week. The Joint Water Pollution Control Plant reported small decreases throughout September.

The two smaller plants, the Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant that serves Lancaster and Palmdale, and the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility, serving Calabasas and surrounding areas, reported stable concentrations with small increases the past few days.

While the plateauing in viral concentrations in wastewater may signify that viral transmission is no longer decreasing, because most of our other early alert signals indicate low concern, we remain hopeful that transmission is not increasing at this time. However, the plateauing does highlight the need to carefully monitor the other signals to see if there are any additional signs in the next couple of weeks that suggest changes in transmission patterns or illness severity.

Overall, the county continues to report improved COVID-19 metrics. The 7-day average case count in the county is 1,297, an 8% decline from one week ago when the 7-day average of 1,397 cases was reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals was 499, a 17% decline from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was 602.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remained stable at an average of 11 deaths reported each day this past week, nearly the same as an average of 12 daily reported deaths a week ago. The 7-day average test positivity rate remains stable at 4.3% over the past week.

The Omicron variant continues to account for 100% of Los Angeles County sequenced specimens, and the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron, remains the predominant subvariant. In the week ending Sept 10, 93% of all sequenced specimens were BA.5, the same as the week before, and the week before that. In Region 9, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and all of the U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, the BA.5 subvariant is estimated to account for about 91% of sequenced specimens for the week ending September 24. Across the country, as of the week ending September 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 83% of specimens. And according to the World Health Organization, BA.5 and BA.4 (and their sublineages, including BA.4.6) are the dominant variants in Europe.

The relative proportions of other key sublineages Public Health are tracking in the county have changed only slightly, including BA.2.12.1, which was under 1% last week has now declined all the way to zero. BA 4.6 continues to hover at about 3%. To date, 30 specimens of BA.2.75 total have been detected, with under 1% of sequenced specimens testing positive for this sublineage in the most recently available data.

Also last week, Public Health began tracking a new subvariant, called BF.7, a sublineage of BA.5, and is also referred to as BA.5.2.1.7. So far, seven sequenced specimens in LA County have been determined to be from BF.7. One was collected the week of August 6, four were collected the week of August 20, and two were collected the week of September 10.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we begin to enjoy fall and start planning for gatherings and holidays, we need to prepare for the possibility that there can be significant transmission of both influenza and COVID this fall and winter. Both flu and COVID-19 are likely to infect more people when the days are shorter, and the temperatures are cooler. This is both because people spend more time indoors where respiratory virus can accumulate and jump more easily from person to person and because cooler weather allows the flu and SARS-CoV-2 virus particles to linger longer in the air and travel further, potentially infecting airways that have lower defenses. And while we don’t have certainty on what this winter will be like, including how much of a surge in COVID and flu we are likely to have, we do know that as the cooler weather sets in and cases rise, the risks will increase for some people more than others. Risks are elevated for older residents, for those with underlying health conditions, for those with more exposures, and for those unvaccinated. As we prepare for the upcoming holidays, one strategy for reducing risk for those most vulnerable for bad outcomes should they become infected, is for everyone, including those at lower risk, to get the fall COVID bivalent booster and the flu vaccine soon. This is because those at lower risk, including children, can easily transmit both flu and COVID to those more vulnerable.”

Today, Public Health reported 6 additional deaths and 1,682 new positive cases. Of the 6 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 50-64, two people were between the ages of 65-79, and two people were aged 80 years or older. Of the six newly reported deaths, five had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 33,603.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,456,407 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 4.3%.

There are 496 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,565,058 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

COVID-19 Daily Data (cases, deaths, testing, testing positivity rate, mortality rate, and hospitalizations)
Gender, Age, Race/Ethnicity and City/Community Cases and Deaths
Recovery Metrics
Contact Tracing Metrics
Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics
Citations due to Health Officer Order Noncompliance
Outbreaks:

Residential Congregate Settings
Non-Residential Settings
Homeless Service Settings

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
California Department of Public Health:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

For more information:

	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	3,456,407
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	3,268,937
-- Long Beach	151,427
-- Pasadena	36,043
Deaths	33,603
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	31,842
-- Long Beach	1,330
-- Pasadena	431
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	103,366
- 5 to 11	274,564
- 12 to 17	268,598
- 18 to 29	714,211
- 30 to 49	1,051,889
- 50 to 64	554,121
- 65 to 79	225,731
- over 80	73,970
- Under Investigation	2,487
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,678,001
- Male	1,503,554
- Other	1,542
- Under Investigation	85,840
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,172
- Asian	233,192
- Black	167,849
- Hispanic/Latino	1,417,765
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	16,643
- White	443,979
- Other	370,939
- Under Investigation	612,398
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	155,902
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	4,039
- Black	2,971
- Hispanic/Latino	16,048
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	112
- White	8,153
- Other	360
- Under Investigation	86
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	5963	28554
City of Alhambra	22624	26087
City of Arcadia	11700	20258
City of Artesia	5390	32093
City of Avalon	66	1706
City of Azusa	16411	32796
City of Baldwin Park	27393	35682
City of Bell	15933	43854
City of Bell Gardens	16096	37371
City of Bellflower	28136	36195
City of Beverly Hills	10617	30756
City of Bradbury	67	6268
City of Burbank	29442	27470
City of Calabasas	5298	21782
City of Carson	31984	34081
City of Cerritos	11827	23622
City of Claremont	8862	24290
City of Commerce*	5307	40608
City of Compton	38053	38090
City of Covina	17749	36199
City of Cudahy	11537	47386
City of Culver City	10392	26068
City of Diamond Bar	12084	21010
City of Downey	43116	37734
City of Duarte	6646	30187
City of El Monte	39343	33549
City of El Segundo	3725	22191
City of Gardena	20072	32739
City of Glendale	54609	26446
City of Glendora	14678	27818
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4815	32809
City of Hawthorne	27083	30503
City of Hermosa Beach	4330	22013
City of Hidden Hills	363	19206
City of Huntington Park	25181	42332
City of Industry	488	111670
City of Inglewood	34794	30633
City of Irwindale	630	43180
City of La Canada Flintridge	4106	19842
City of La Habra Heights	174	3190
City of La Mirada	12902	26013
City of La Puente	15094	37089
City of La Verne	8612	25876
City of Lakewood	24347	30297
City of Lancaster*	59341	36728
City of Lawndale	9860	29333
City of Lomita	5464	26359
City of Lynwood*	28793	39964
City of Malibu	2689	20747
City of Manhattan Beach	6688	18578
City of Maywood	12143	43292
City of Monrovia	10607	27338
City of Montebello	23251	36118
City of Monterey Park	15606	25065
City of Norwalk	39322	36537
City of Palmdale	61973	38985
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2005	14828
City of Paramount	21784	38884
City of Pico Rivera	25520	39699
City of Pomona	60724	38943
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	6768	15833
City of Redondo Beach	14001	20381
City of Rolling Hills	253	13041
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1365	16825
City of Rosemead	14046	25377
City of San Dimas*	10181	29496
City of San Fernando	11986	48700
City of San Gabriel	10102	24667
City of San Marino	2148	16178
City of Santa Clarita	67104	30443
City of Santa Fe Springs	7490	40786
City of Santa Monica	23996	25957
City of Sierra Madre	2109	19192
City of Signal Hill	3680	31194
City of South El Monte	7666	36706
City of South Gate	44422	45257
City of South Pasadena	5721	21959
City of Temple City	8896	24403
City of Torrance	30699	20566
City of Vernon	343	164115
City of Walnut	6749	22105
City of West Covina	36406	33636
City of West Hollywood	10286	27837
City of Westlake Village	359	4294
City of Whittier	28783	32920
Los Angeles	1413477	34947
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2999	36564
Los Angeles - Alsace	4188	33652
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	769	30735
Los Angeles - Arleta	15749	45822
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	4548	31011
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	9318	29937
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2201	26112
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3083	24615
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3831	29082
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	38036	43778
Los Angeles - Brentwood	7729	24969
Los Angeles - Brookside	136	23408
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2218	31147
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	23665	36247
Los Angeles - Carthay	3886	27056
Los Angeles - Central	16317	41847
Los Angeles - Century City	3355	26227
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	15244	45146
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	11784	31796
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2303	25112
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2531	31555
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4871	33471
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4460	29433
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4858	35129
Los Angeles - Crestview	3533	31078
Los Angeles - Del Rey	7768	25949
Los Angeles - Downtown*	14877	54084
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	12408	31342
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	8779	29976
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4203	29482
Los Angeles - El Sereno	15880	37983
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1685	29499
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3357	33006
Los Angeles - Encino	13871	30707
Los Angeles - Exposition	1185	35628
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	16818	37442
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1145	31806
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3485	39961
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	21759	45862
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	10120	32021
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3784	35154
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	19839	34093
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	9558	44445
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4354	25553
Los Angeles - Harbor City	8644	29735
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	14553	33378
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	576	23910
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5844	32404
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	16979	44758
Los Angeles - Highland Park	15946	32952
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5020	36193
Los Angeles - Hollywood	19884	29132
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	7026	23870
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	10869	38082
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2958	36641
Los Angeles - Koreatown	15232	29466
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1535	33670
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	14831	35140
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	5444	41453
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5243	34414
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	11968	36715
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2837	35352
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	8189	28892
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1343	42866
Los Angeles - Longwood	1611	37430
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	5262	24352
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2926	34278
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	733	23464
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	9898	23305
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	894	20505
Los Angeles - Melrose	24294	31268
Los Angeles - Mid-city	4320	28743
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	4532	25199
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	11025	45701
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	7765	32160
Los Angeles - North Hills	23509	38179
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	55154	36424
Los Angeles - Northridge	23429	33567
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	4576	21493
Los Angeles - Pacoima	36519	47440
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	854	22205
Los Angeles - Palms	10923	24895
Los Angeles - Panorama City	31307	41604
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2938	21635
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	15499	37042
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	542	16959
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	3123	28528
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	9644	27099
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	2037	31052
Los Angeles - Regent Square	810	29137
Los Angeles - Reseda	29507	38512
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1682	36281
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	1125	26608
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	24132	30923
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	1182	26610
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	25114	28783
Los Angeles - Silverlake	12452	28247
Los Angeles - South Carthay	2884	27220
Los Angeles - South Park	16408	43223
Los Angeles - St Elmo Village	1775	38722
Los Angeles - Studio City	6376	28414
Los Angeles - Sun Valley	21749	41440
Los Angeles - Sunland	6318	30958
Los Angeles - Sycamore Square	170	26275
Los Angeles - Sylmar*	39357	47765
Los Angeles - Tarzana	9649	31251
Los Angeles - Temple-Beaudry	12852	32552
Los Angeles - Thai Town	2661	27128
Los Angeles - Toluca Lake	2322	26677
Los Angeles - Toluca Terrace	427	32695
Los Angeles - Toluca Woods	471	25350
Los Angeles - Tujunga	8248	29658
Los Angeles - University Hills	865	25226
Los Angeles - University Park	10855	39536
Los Angeles - Valley Glen	10391	34618
Los Angeles - Valley Village	7663	30999
Los Angeles - Van Nuys*	35078	37640
Los Angeles - Venice	8463	24976
Los Angeles - Vermont Knolls	7030	40872
Los Angeles - Vermont Square	3557	46454
Los Angeles - Vermont Vista	17407	42264
Los Angeles - Vernon Central	23887	45938
Los Angeles - Victoria Park	2654	31599
Los Angeles - View Heights	947	25636
Los Angeles - Watts	18056	42311
Los Angeles - Wellington Square	1685	34283
Los Angeles - West Adams	10177	36833
Los Angeles - West Hills	11371	28045
Los Angeles - West Los Angeles	10351	27503
Los Angeles - West Vernon	23178	43207
Los Angeles - Westchester	12241	23721
Los Angeles - Westlake	19458	32782
Los Angeles - Westwood	14842	27430
Los Angeles - Wholesale District*	19371	53616
Los Angeles - Wilmington	22083	39094
Los Angeles - Wilshire Center	15382	30660
Los Angeles - Winnetka	18489	35703
Los Angeles - Woodland Hills	18885	27750
Unincorporated - Acton	1826	22908
Unincorporated - Agua Dulce	921	22150
Unincorporated - Altadena	10530	24140
Unincorporated - Anaverde	376	24934
Unincorporated - Angeles National Forest	97	7791
Unincorporated - Arcadia	1989	24922
Unincorporated - Athens-Westmont	16405	38653
Unincorporated - Athens Village	2652	54156
Unincorporated - Avocado Heights	2615	38598
Unincorporated - Azusa	5755	36143
Unincorporated - Bassett	5619	37923
Unincorporated - Bouquet Canyon	190	17707
Unincorporated - Bradbury	98	90741
Unincorporated - Canyon Country	3300	42702
Unincorporated - Castaic*	9091	33434
Unincorporated - Cerritos	176	29983
Unincorporated - Charter Oak	2	10000
Unincorporated - Claremont	120	17094
Unincorporated - Covina	5820	34604
Unincorporated - Covina (Charter Oak)	4459	33924
Unincorporated - Del Aire	1135	25837
Unincorporated - Del Rey	127	39937
Unincorporated - Del Sur	652	26998
Unincorporated - Desert View Highlands	874	35058
Unincorporated - Duarte	1857	41938
Unincorporated - East Covina	88	26748
Unincorporated - East La Mirada	1499	28326
Unincorporated - East Lancaster	48	42105
Unincorporated - East Los Angeles	55367	44198
Unincorporated - East Pasadena	365	5700
Unincorporated - East Rancho Dominguez	5741	37503
Unincorporated - East Whittier	1337	25198
Unincorporated - El Camino Village	2254	25640
Unincorporated - El Monte	58	40000
Unincorporated - Elizabeth Lake	249	14991
Unincorporated - Florence-Firestone	29282	45255
Unincorporated - Franklin Canyon	1	8333
Unincorporated - Glendora	190	28788
Unincorporated - Hacienda Heights	15108	27014
Unincorporated - Harbor Gateway	5	500000
Unincorporated - Hawthorne	715	28441
Unincorporated - Hi Vista	155	14117
Unincorporated - Kagel/Lopez Canyons	594	42068
Unincorporated - La Crescenta-Montrose	3981	20105
Unincorporated - La Habra Heights	18	2663
Unincorporated - La Rambla	728	35084
Unincorporated - La Verne*	609	29853
Unincorporated - Ladera Heights	1727	24424
Unincorporated - Lake Hughes	191	28593
Unincorporated - Lake Los Angeles	3871	29791
Unincorporated - Lake Manor	423	25746
Unincorporated - Lakewood	1	877
Unincorporated - Lennox	7310	32428
Unincorporated - Leona Valley	303	17304
Unincorporated - Littlerock	1355	33698
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Juniper Hills	314	24210
Unincorporated - Littlerock/Pearblossom	1216	34071
Unincorporated - Llano	110	12543
Unincorporated - Marina del Rey	2170	23058
Unincorporated - Miracle Mile	0	0
Unincorporated - Monrovia	1131	29142
Unincorporated - Newhall	100	45455
Unincorporated - North Lancaster	374	31219
Unincorporated - North Whittier	2870	34330
Unincorporated - Northeast San Gabriel	5518	22957
Unincorporated - Padua Hills	35	16279
Unincorporated - Palmdale	239	28385
Unincorporated - Palos Verdes Peninsula	104	16747
Unincorporated - Pearblossom/Llano	391	19990
Unincorporated - Pellissier Village	352	56866
Unincorporated - Placerita Canyon	22	4783
Unincorporated - Pomona	163	8411
Unincorporated - Quartz Hill	3714	28777
Unincorporated - Rancho Dominguez	1108	41638
Unincorporated - Roosevelt	255	27390
Unincorporated - Rosewood	488	37947
Unincorporated - Rosewood/East Gardena	491	41157
Unincorporated - Rosewood/West Rancho Dominguez	1254	37310
Unincorporated - Rowland Heights	11626	22786
Unincorporated - San Clemente Island	0	0
Unincorporated - San Francisquito Canyon/Bouquet Canyon	42	4895
Unincorporated - San Jose Hills	7376	36477
Unincorporated - San Pasqual	83	4079
Unincorporated - Sand Canyon	57	18506
Unincorporated - Santa Catalina Island	753	282022
Unincorporated - Santa Monica Mountains*	3580	19226
Unincorporated - Saugus	404	260645
Unincorporated - Saugus/Canyon Country	106	29775
Unincorporated - South Antelope Valley	108	23736
Unincorporated - South El Monte	714	39777
Unincorporated - South San Gabriel	2667	30142
Unincorporated - South Whittier	20162	34045
Unincorporated - Southeast Antelope Valley	227	29065
Unincorporated - Stevenson Ranch	5408	25794
Unincorporated - Sun Village	2067	34245
Unincorporated - Sunrise Village	492	37963
Unincorporated - Twin Lakes/Oat Mountain	397	23945
Unincorporated - Val Verde	998	30160
Unincorporated - Valencia	862	28060
Unincorporated - Valinda	8864	37927
Unincorporated - View Park/Windsor Hills	3296	28328
Unincorporated - Walnut Park	7087	43901
Unincorporated - West Antelope Valley	166	10986
Unincorporated - West Carson	7213	32659
Unincorporated - West Chatsworth	4	33333
Unincorporated - West LA	714	75000
Unincorporated - West Puente Valley	3820	38841
Unincorporated - West Rancho Dominguez	453	33333
Unincorporated - West Whittier/Los Nietos	9868	36650
Unincorporated - Westfield/Academy Hills	226	17385
Unincorporated - Westhills	176	20977
Unincorporated - White Fence Farms	863	23432
Unincorporated - Whittier	907	23969
Unincorporated - Whittier Narrows	69	575000
Unincorporated - Willowbrook	15682	44917
Unincorporated - Wiseburn	1748	29003
- Under Investigation	80841
* --Case and death numbers include cases identified among persons detained at correctional facilities located in the city/community

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