Respiratory Virus Transmission Indicators Still Heightened from Winter Surge

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to report elevated levels of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity, underscoring the need for common-sense precautions even as we see slight declines in some indicators.

As COVID-19, flu and RSV continue to circulate in Los Angeles County, residents remain at increased risk of being exposed or exposing others to respiratory infections. People are encouraged to take common-sense precautions, such as getting vaccinated and, if sick, staying home, testing and seeking treatment, to protect themselves and the people around them from respiratory illness.

In Los Angeles County, wastewater concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were up this week at 66 percent of last year’s winter peak, an increase from 60 percent reported last week, and significantly higher than the 36 percent reported on Dec. 27. Wastewater concentrations provide a more complete picture of COVID-19 transmission levels than reported cases alone.

Some other indicators have declined slightly over the past week but remain elevated. Daily average cases in Los Angeles County fell to 462 from 483 a week earlier. Reported cases do not include home tests, so the actual number of COVID-19 infections in the community is much higher. There was a daily average of 768 COVID-positive hospitalized patients this week compared to 830 last week. However, average daily COVID-19 deaths increased to 5.6 for the week ending Dec. 25, 2023, up from 3.7 reported a week earlier. It is not unexpected to see increases in the death metric later than other metrics due to both the time needed to receive death certificates and the natural progression of the disease.

Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has returned to the Low Level after two weeks at Medium Level. Last Friday, CDC reported 9.8 new COVID-19 hospital admissions in Los Angeles County per 100,000 people for the week ending Jan. 6. Today, CDC reported 9.6 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people for the week ending Jan. 13.

Los Angeles County’s masking requirement for inpatient facilities as outlined in the Health Officer Order posted on Dec. 27, 2023, remains in effect despite the change in CDC Hospital Admission Levels. The new COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level for Los Angeles is hovering just below 10, with rates of 9.8 and 9.6 per 100,000 for the past two weeks. To continue to better protect patients in licensed healthcare facilities that provide inpatient care while COVID-19 transmission remains elevated and the hospital admission rate remains very close to 10, Los Angeles County will maintain required masking by staff and visitors in these facilities. Public Health will reassess the requirement in two weeks to allow for additional time to confirm a sustained decline in the new COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level to Low and to decrease the chance of needing to quickly reinstate the masking requirement in these facilities.

Flu and RSV also have seen small declines while continuing to spread at elevated levels in Los Angeles County. There was an average of 345 influenza-positive hospitalized patients per day for the week ending Jan. 6, a decrease from the average of 425 influenza-positive hospitalized patients per day the week before. For the week ending Jan. 6, 14.8 percent of specimens tested for influenza at sentinel surveillance laboratories were positive, similar to levels seen at the beginning of December. For the same week, 11 percent of specimens tested for RSV at sentinel surveillance laboratories were positive.

To help reduce the spread of respiratory illness, people experiencing respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, sore throat or fever, should test for COVID-19. If they are positive, they should seek treatment, which can decrease the severity and length of illness and reduce the risk of long COVID. Oral antivirals also are available to reduce the chances of getting very sick from the flu.

One of the best and most effective ways to prevent serious illness remains vaccination. Public Health encourages residents to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine for maximum protection against new strains and waning immunity. It makes sense to also get the flu vaccine in January because a second wave of flu in the early spring is not uncommon. To find a vaccination site, visit myturn.ca.gov.

Free vaccines, at-home test kits and medicines to treat both COVID-19 and flu may be accessed through Public Health, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Call the Public Health InfoLine at 1-833-540-0473 with health-related questions and for help making a telehealth appointment or getting a prescription for COVID-19 medication. The InfoLine is free to use and open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization, and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks.

Weekly COVID-19 Data Table
Metric	Date of Weekly Report
Metric	1/17/2024	1/10/2024	1/3/2024	12/27/2023
Daily average cases	462	483	542	621
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value³	66%	60%	49%	36%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	4.2%	4.5%	4.5%	4.8%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	768	830	786	690
Daily average deaths	5.6	3.7	3.4	4.9
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	2.6%	3.0%	4.2%	2.7%
All daily averages are 7-day averages. Data for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED data = week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag. Case data is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death data is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death data were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases do not include Long Beach and Pasadena. Daily average deaths include Long Beach and Pasadena for all weeks except 1/3/24. Long Beach and Pasadena are not included in the daily average death count for 1/3/24 because data was not available from CDPH due to the holiday.

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/COVIDdata including:

· COVID -19 Response Plan

· COVID -19 Vaccinations

· Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

· Resp Watch: Viral Respiratory Surveillance for LA County

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

https://espanol.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

· World Health Organization:

https://www.who.int/health -topics/coronavirus

· LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Cases through 12:00pm 01/15/2024
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,858,171
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	37,209
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	118,192
- 5 to 11	285,763
- 12 to 17	280,686
- 18 to 29	772,627
- 30 to 49	1,163,456
- 50 to 64	638,380
- 65 to 79	285,951
- over 80	105,481
- Under Investigation	2,642
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,890,614
- Male	1,670,713
- Other	1,961
- Under Investigation	89,890
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,949
- Asian	274,199
- Black	195,506
- Hispanic/Latino	1,548,182
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,224
- White	513,589
- Other	423,586
- Under Investigation	672,943
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	193739
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	83
- Asian	4,646
- Black	3,299
- Hispanic/Latino	17,063
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	115
- White	9,481
- Other	506
- Under Investigation	115
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6594	31576
City of Alhambra	26498	30554
City of Arcadia	14381	24900
City of Artesia	6260	37273
City of Avalon	301	7780
City of Azusa	17978	35927
City of Baldwin Park	30466	39685
City of Bell	17309	47641
City of Bell Gardens	17469	40559
City of Bellflower	31645	40709
City of Beverly Hills	12068	34959
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	34091	31807
City of Calabasas	6165	25346
City of Carson	36292	38672
City of Cerritos	13991	27945
City of Claremont	10747	29457
City of Commerce*	5978	45742
City of Compton	41378	41418
City of Covina	20925	42676
City of Cudahy	12411	50975
City of Culver City	12499	31353
City of Diamond Bar	14171	24639
City of Downey	47989	41999
City of Duarte	7752	35211
City of El Monte	43914	37447
City of El Segundo	4260	25378
City of Gardena	22822	37224
City of Glendale	62457	30247
City of Glendora	15683	29723
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5143	35044
City of Hawthorne	30690	34566
City of Hermosa Beach	4926	25043
City of Hidden Hills	399	21111
City of Huntington Park	26780	45021
City of Industry	1065	243707
City of Inglewood	40131	35332
City of Irwindale	910	62371
City of La Canada Flintridge	4780	23100
City of La Habra Heights	216	3960
City of La Mirada	14738	29714
City of La Puente	16357	40192
City of La Verne	9540	28664
City of Lakewood	28068	34927
City of Lancaster*	66329	41053
City of Lawndale	10951	32579
City of Lomita	6391	30831
City of Lynwood*	32041	44472
City of Malibu	3005	23185
City of Manhattan Beach	7765	21570
City of Maywood	13124	46790
City of Monrovia	12318	31747
City of Montebello	26141	40607
City of Monterey Park	18185	29207
City of Norwalk	44173	41045
City of Palmdale	68784	43269
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2393	17697
City of Paramount	23283	41560
City of Pico Rivera	28771	44756
City of Pomona	67372	43206
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8311	19442
City of Redondo Beach	16383	23848
City of Rolling Hills	317	16340
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1664	20510
City of Rosemead	15729	28417
City of San Dimas*	11446	33161
City of San Fernando	13106	53250
City of San Gabriel	12075	29484
City of San Marino	2546	19176
City of Santa Clarita	76970	34919
City of Santa Fe Springs	8060	43890
City of Santa Monica	27997	30285
City of Sierra Madre	2564	23332
City of Signal Hill	4251	36035
City of South El Monte	8615	41250
City of South Gate	48122	49027
City of South Pasadena	6586	25279
City of Temple City	11106	30465
City of Torrance	36203	24254
City of Vernon	362	173206
City of Walnut	7821	25616
City of West Covina	40786	37683
City of West Hollywood	11691	31639
City of Westlake Village	461	5514
City of Whittier	32103	36718
Los Angeles	1575369	38950
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3286	40063
Los Angeles - Alsace	4666	37493
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	1	2500
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	861	34412
Los Angeles - Arleta	17355	50495
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5241	35736
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10699	34374
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2567	30454
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3470	27705
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4361	33106
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41303	47538
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8804	28441
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2359	33127
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	26105	39984
Los Angeles - Carthay	4578	31874
Los Angeles - Central	17285	44330
Los Angeles - Century City	3953	30902
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16724	49529
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13496	36416
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2678	29201
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3063	38187
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5484	37683
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	5054	33353
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5555	40169
Los Angeles - Crestview	4117	36216
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8831	29500
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16586	60297
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14283	36078
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9862	33674
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4616	32379
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17373	41554
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1890	33088
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3675	36132
Los Angeles - Encino	15824	35031
Los Angeles - Exposition	1327	39898
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18639	41497
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1307	36306
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3899	44708
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23318	49147
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11340	35882 #####