COVID cases and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County continue to rise as a new subvariant of the coronavirus advances across the state.
During the seven-day period ending Sunday, there were an average of 121 new cases per day in Los Angeles County, up from 106 per day the previous week, according to the most recent data available.
The reported cases are certainly an undercount, as they generally measure only laboratory-confirmed infections where testing is done in medical facilities and not those who test at home or don't get tested at all (and there are now fewer people doing evidence).
Scientists say the trends are an indication of an expected summer wave. A number of new subvariants of COVID-19, collectively called FLiRT, are increasingly outperforming last winter's dominant strain.
The new FLiRT subvariants, officially known as KP.3, KP.2 and KP.1.1, are believed to be about 20% more transmissible than their parent, JN.1, the dominant winter subvariant, according to Dr. Peter Chin -Hong. , an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco.
During the two-week period ending June 8, 55% of estimated COVID samples in the US were of the type FLiRT variants – compared to 28.6% the previous month.
Last summer's peak in average daily new cases in Los Angeles County was 571, during the week ending August 30. Last winter's peak was 621, during the week ending December 27.
COVID-positive hospitalizations are also trending upward. There were an average of 126 COVID patients in hospital each day during the week ending June 8, up from 102 the week before.
Still, the number of cases and hospitalizations is relatively low, even compared to the previous winter, which was relatively mild. Last summer's peak daily COVID hospitalizations were 620, and last winter it was 825.
The increase in cases and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County likely represents an earlier-than-normal start to the COVID wave, which has occurred every summer since the pandemic began. Previously, the county's midyear increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations began in early July, in 2021 and 2023, but in early May in 2022.
“This increase is not unexpected as we have seen increases in COVID-19 transmission over recent summers. We are currently not seeing increases in COVID-associated deaths,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement to the Times.
Los Angeles County is averaging one COVID death per day.
COVID levels in Los Angeles County wastewater were at 13% of the winter 2022-23 peak for the week ending June 1, about the same compared to the previous week.
But at the state level, California was one of six states with high levels of COVID in its wastewater, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Three states have even higher levels: Florida, Hawaii and Montana were designated as having very high levels of COVID wastewater. In addition to California, the other five states with high levels were Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland and New Mexico.
The rate at which COVID tests return positive results continues to increase. During the week ending Monday, 6.4% of COVID tests in California returned positive results, up from 2.4% the previous month. Last summer's peak was 13.1%.
Experts offered the following advice on what to do if you feel sick or test positive for COVID-19:
Stay home and away from others while you are sick
The CDC says people should stay away from others until at least 24 hours after their respiratory symptoms improve and they have no fever (and are not using fever-reducing medications). Previously, the CDC suggested that people with COVID isolate for at least five days and take extra precautions for a few more days.
To decide when symptoms improve, what matters most is “the overall sense of feeling better and the ability to resume activities,” the CDC says. A persistent cough may last longer when someone is contagious, the CDC said.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also recommends taking a rapid test and obtaining a negative result before leaving isolation.
Test early and often
An early cough or sore throat may not just be a cold; it could be COVID. So be sure to get tested, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California.
And the first COVID test could be negative because the body hasn't yet made enough copies of the virus to show up on a test. That's why Hudson suggests testing once a day for three to five days if the first results are negative.
Doing so can help a person take steps to isolate and limit the spread of the disease.
Take extra precautions after recovering
People who have recovered from COVID-19 may still be contagious for a few days after recovering. The CDC suggests taking extra precautions for five additional days. They include:
- Wear a mask that fits well
- Continue testing. If it is positive, you are more likely to infect others.
- Keep your distance from other people
- Increase air circulation by opening windows, turning on air purifiers, and gathering outdoors if you are gathering with people.
- Continue to improve hygiene: wash and sanitize your hands frequently, clean high-touch surfaces, and cover coughs and sneezes.
Mask for 10 days
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says people with COVID-19 should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after they start feeling sick, even if signs of illness are improving, to reduce the chance of other people becoming infected.
Masks can be removed sooner if you have two consecutive negative results at least one day apart, the agency says.
Watch for COVID rebound
COVID rebound can occur when people feel better but then start to feel unwell two to eight days later. Some people may also test positive again. COVID rebound can make a person contagious again and capable of infecting others.
Rebound can occur whether you take Paxlovid or not.
Officials say if you feel sick again after recovering from COVID, again follow the same instructions for staying away from others as you would during the first phase of the illness.
What to do if you test positive but have no symptoms
The CDC says if you never had any symptoms but tested positive, take extra precautions over the next five days, such as wearing a mask, getting tested, increasing air circulation, keeping your distance, and washing your hands frequently.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends wearing a well-fitting mask for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19. You can remove your mask sooner if you have two consecutive negative tests at least one day apart.
Los Angeles County health officials recommend that close contacts of people who have COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask when around other people for 10 days after their last exposure. And they suggest testing three to five days after your last exposure.
Protect the elderly and immunocompromised
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health urges infected people to avoid contact with elderly and immunocompromised people for at least 10 days after they start feeling sick or, if they are asymptomatic, after their first positive test.
If infected people test negative in two consecutive rapid tests, taken one day apart, the risk of the infected person transmitting COVID to others is significantly reduced.
But to be especially safe with high-risk people, “wearing masks or isolating [by the infected person] for the full 10 days would be the most protective way to further reduce that risk,” the agency said.
