Early Alert Signals Remind Us of the Need for Caution - 2,550 New Positive Cases and 4 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

With Los Angeles County experiencing a high rate of transmission and cases steadily rising, Public Health encourages residents to use caution to avoid getting infected with COVID and transmitting it to others.

Public Health continues to monitor community-wide and sector-specific indicators for early alerts that transmission and risk may be increasing. This week, although all of the County’s Early Alert Signals are of Low Concern except for the percentage of specimens sequenced that are identified as a new variant or subvariant of concern, many metrics are trending in the wrong direction.

The highly contagious Omicron BA.2 subvariant is now identified in 88% of recent LA County samples – a slight increase from the prior week. Nationally, the BA.2 subvariant is the predominant lineage, although there is increasing circulation of a newly identified sub-lineage strain: BA.2.12.1. For the week ending April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that BA.2 accounted for 68% of sequenced specimens in the U.S., with BA.2.12.1 accounting for approximately 29% of sequenced samples for that week. The BA.2.12.1 sublineage is also estimated to be 20-30% more transmissible than BA.2, and it could quickly become the nation’s dominant strain.

In Los Angeles County, 7% of sequenced specimens were identified as BA.2.12.1 for the week ending April 9, up from 3% for the prior seven-day period. The California Department of Public Health, through modeling estimates, anticipates that BA.2.12.1 will account for 50% of positive cases in California within a few days.

Increasing concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater across LA County indicate rising community transmission. Public Health is monitoring wastewater concentration for four sewer systems across the County. At three sewer systems: the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Joint Water Pollution Control Plant; theLos Angeles City Sanitation and Environment Agency; and the Los Angeles County Sanitation District’s Lancaster sewer system, there’s been a steady rise in average wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentration. Las Virgenes Municipal Water Districts, whose wastewater surveillance covers part of the West Valley near the Ventura County border, has not recently seen a steady increase.

Outbreaks in congregate living situations, such as Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and among People Experiencing Homelessness, can signal that action is needed to protect staff and residents, many of whom may be particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness. While not yet a cause for significant concern , outbreaks at SNFs and sites serving People Experiencing Homelessness, have recently started to rise. For the latest seven-day reporting period ending April 26, there were six new outbreaks opened in Skilled Nursing Facilities, and 10 new outbreaks at sites serving People Experiencing Homelessness, nine of which are in sheltered environments.

This week, Public Health has seen a doubling of reports from worksites with clusters of cases when compared to the prior week. Among the 82 cluster reports received between April 20 and April 26, the top three sectors represented were Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Information, which together accounted for 55% of total cluster reports. Among subsectors, the top four industries were Food and Beverage Stores, Electronics and Appliance Stores, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, and Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries.

TK-12 schools are also experiencing small increases in outbreaks. For the seven-day period ending April 19, there were six new classroom outbreaks opened, all in elementary schools. This is double the number opened the prior week and is nearing the threshold for increased concern, which is eight new classroom-based outbreaks opened in the past seven days.

“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. “During this period of high transmission and the potential for more infectious variants, one of the best and easiest safety measures is to wear a well-fitting, high filtration mask or respirator when indoors around others. This is especially true if someone is at higher risk for severe illness, or they live or they work with someone who is at elevated risk. The fact is that when people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those around them. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have all had to make choices about how to best protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. With cases on the rise, the potential for more contagious variants, and lots of opportunities to be exposed, this is a great time to make a choice to get vaccinated or boosted and to wear a mask or respirator when indoors around others.”

Today, Public Health reported 4 additional deaths and 2,550 new positive cases of COVID-19. Of the 4 new deaths reported today, three were between the ages of 65-79, and one person was over the aged 80 years or older. Of the 4 newly reported deaths, all had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 31,959.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,872,203 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 1.8%.

There are 253 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,847,700 individuals, with 22% 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:

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Cases through 12:00pm 4/28/2022
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases	2,872,203
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)*	2,717,376
-- Long Beach	126,104
-- Pasadena	28,723
Deaths	31,959
-- Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)	30,280
-- Long Beach	1,265
-- Pasadena	414
Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	83497
- 5 to 11	241526
- 12 to 17	235703
- 18 to 29	605885
- 30 to 49	867078
- 50 to 64	449684
- 65 to 79	175042
- over 80	56927
- Under Investigation	2034
Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1382592
- Male	1258519
- Other	1178
- Under Investigation	75087
Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	4999
- Asian	169172
- Black	136541
- Hispanic/Latino	1235641
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13730
- White	352958
- Other	301153
- Under Investigation	503182
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	137,335
Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	73
- Asian	3779
- Black	2806
- Hispanic/Latino	15570
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	111
- White	7542
- Other	308
- Under Investigation	91
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	4272	20457
City of Alhambra	17205	19839
City of Arcadia	8256	14295
City of Artesia	4212	25079
City of Avalon	63	1628
City of Azusa	13791	27560
City of Baldwin Park	22972	29924
City of Bell	13910	38286
City of Bell Gardens	14191	32948
City of Bellflower	23420	30128
City of Beverly Hills	8553	24777
City of Bradbury	66	6174
City of Burbank	22697	21177
City of Calabasas	4074	16750
City of Carson	25758	27447
City of Cerritos	8556	17089
City of Claremont	7159	19622
City of Commerce*	4519	34578
City of Compton	33191	33223
City of Covina	14767	30117
City of Cudahy	10058	41311
City of Culver City	7603	19072
City of Diamond Bar	9276	16128
City of Downey	36147	31635
City of Duarte	5211	23669
City of El Monte	33190	28302
City of El Segundo	2853	16996
City of Gardena	16359	26682
City of Glendale	44888	21738
City of Glendora	11896	22546
City of Hawaiian Gardens	4184	28509
City of Hawthorne	22745	25617
City of Hermosa Beach	3387	17219
City of Hidden Hills	267	14127
City of Huntington Park	22116	37180
City of Industry	405	92677
City of Inglewood	29544	26011
City of Irwindale	538	36875
City of La Canada Flintridge	2959	14300
City of La Habra Heights	162	2970
City of La Mirada	10522	21214
City of La Puente	12736	31295
City of La Verne	7122	21399
City of Lakewood	19152	23832
City of Lancaster*	51098	31626
City of Lawndale	8163	24285
City of Lomita	4360	21033
City of Lynwood*	24867	34515
City of Malibu	2162	16681
City of Manhattan Beach	5113	14203
City of Maywood	10598	37784
City of Monrovia	8349	21518
City of Montebello	19315	30004
City of Monterey Park	11714	18814
City of Norwalk	33331	30970
City of Palmdale	53189	33459
City of Palos Verdes Estates	1551	11470
City of Paramount	18981	33881
City of Pico Rivera	21039	32728
City of Pomona	52230	33496
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	5007	11713
City of Redondo Beach	10266	14944
City of Rolling Hills	191	9845
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1019	12560
City of Rosemead	10915	19720
City of San Dimas*	8138	23577
City of San Fernando	10487	42609
City of San Gabriel	7686	18767
City of San Marino	1471	11079
City of Santa Clarita	54540	24743
City of Santa Fe Springs	6390	34796
City of Santa Monica	17635	19076
City of Sierra Madre	1559	14187
City of Signal Hill	2872	24345
City of South El Monte	6594	31573
City of South Gate	38521	39245
City of South Pasadena	4132	15860
City of Temple City	6322	17342
City of Torrance	23229	15562
City of Vernon	311	148804
City of Walnut	4950	16212
City of West Covina	29465	27223
City of West Hollywood	8213	22227
City of Westlake Village	283	3385
City of Whittier	23850	27278
Los Angeles	1184904	29296
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	2625	32004
Los Angeles - Alsace	3570	28686
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	6	15000
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	643	25699
Los Angeles - Arleta	13687	39823
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	3596	24519
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	7572	24328
Los Angeles - Bel Air	1531	18163
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	2431	19409
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	3111	23616
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	33382	38421
Los Angeles - Brentwood	5724	18491
Los Angeles - Brookside	99	17040
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	1849	25965
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	20235	30993
Los Angeles - Carthay	2985	20783
Los Angeles - Central	14908	38233
Los Angeles - Century City	2436	19043
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	13510	40011
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	9406	25380
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	1704	18580
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2011	25072
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	4090	28104
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	3682	24299
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	4018	29055
Los Angeles - Crestview	2904	25545
Los Angeles - Del Rey	6086	20330
Los Angeles - Downtown*	12061	43847
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	9408	23764
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	7401	25271
Los Angeles - Echo Park	3402	23864
Los Angeles - El Sereno	13354	31941
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1385	24247
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	2742	26959
Los Angeles - Encino	10533	23318
Los Angeles - Exposition	978	29405
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	14564	32424
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	912	25333
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3043	34893
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	19541	41187
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	8101	25633
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	3210	29822
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	16164	27777
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	8551	39763
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	3447	20230
Los Angeles - Harbor City	7079	24352
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	12221	28030
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	460	19095
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	5177	28705
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	15022	39599
Los Angeles - Highland Park	13120	27112
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	4299	30995
Los Angeles - Hollywood	16286	23861
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	5383	18288
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	9282	32522
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	2519	31203
Los Angeles - Koreatown	13069	25282
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1253	27484
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	12341	29240
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	4624	35209
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	4308	28277
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heights	10155	31153
Los Angeles - Little Armenia	2448	30505
Los Angeles - Little Bangladesh	6902	24352
Los Angeles - Little Tokyo	1108	35365
Los Angeles - Longwood	1353	31436
Los Angeles - Los Feliz	3925	18165
Los Angeles - Manchester Square	2408	28210
Los Angeles - Mandeville Canyon	534	17093
Los Angeles - Mar Vista	7480	17612
Los Angeles - Marina Peninsula	684	15688
Los Angeles - Melrose	20333	26170
Los Angeles - Mid-city	3492	23234
Los Angeles - Miracle Mile	3520	19572
Los Angeles - Mission Hills	9461	39218
Los Angeles - Mt. Washington	6426	26614
Los Angeles - North Hills	20123	32680
Los Angeles - North Hollywood	46588	30767
Los Angeles - Northridge	19277	27619
Los Angeles - Pacific Palisades	3445	16181
Los Angeles - Pacoima	32163	41782
Los Angeles - Palisades Highlands	631	16407
Los Angeles - Palms	8186	18657
Los Angeles - Panorama City	27161	36094
Los Angeles - Park La Brea	2295	16900
Los Angeles - Pico-Union	13916	33258
Los Angeles - Playa Del Rey	420	13141
Los Angeles - Playa Vista	2326	21248
Los Angeles - Porter Ranch	7345	20639
Los Angeles - Rancho Park	1475	22485
Los Angeles - Regent Square	651	23417
Los Angeles - Reseda	24780	32343
Los Angeles - Reseda Ranch	1417	30565
Los Angeles - Reynier Village	873	20648
Los Angeles - San Pedro*	19781	25348
Los Angeles - Shadow Hills	985	22175
Los Angeles - Sherman Oaks	19208	22014
Los Angeles - Silverlake	9806	22244