COVID-19 Numbers Double In One Day: LA County Public Health

Los Angeles CA

22 December, 2021

8:32 PM

Description

LOS ANGELES — The County of Los Angeles Public Health department reported more than double the number of coronavirus cases on Wednesday as reported Tuesday. The health department reported 6,509 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, up from 3,052 on Tuesday. Of these cases, 162 were the omicron variant of COVID-19. These numbers include Long Beach and Pasadena. "This steep increase, one of the steepest rises we have ever seen over the course of the pandemic, reflects the increased circulation of Omicron and the associated rapid acceleration of transmission associated with this variant," LA Public Health said in a news release. Related: COVID Hospitalization Numbers Steady In LA County The positivity rate has more than doubled in the county since last week, going from 1.9 percent to 4.5 percent. The county also reported 16 new deaths Wednesday. Across the county, 748 people are hospitalized because of COVID-19. Related: COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Los Angeles Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health, says the health department extends "deepest condolences" to those who have lost someone during the pandemic. "These numbers make it crystal clear that we are heading into very challenging times over the winter holidays," Ferrer said in a news release."If our case numbers continue to increase at a rapid pace over this next week, we could be looking at case numbers we have never seen before, well over 20,000 cases a day by the end of this year. Although hospitalizations and deaths remain relatively stable at this time, these are both known to be lagging indicators because most people don't experience severe illness until a few days after testing positive. While many will be protected against the most severe illness from Omicron because they are fully vaccinated and boosted where eligible, very high case numbers can easily cause significant stress to the health care system if even a small percentage of those infected require hospital care." Related: As Omicron Spikes In Los Angeles, Officials Urge Booster Shots