L.A. County coronavirus cases surge to highest levels since summer wave

Coronavirus case and hospitalization rates have risen dramatically through the last half of November in Los Angeles County, which on Thursday reentered the medium COVID-19 community level for the first time since the end of the summer Omicron wave.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said L.A. County was reporting 11.9 new coronavirus-positive patients every week for every 100,000 residents. That’s a 38% increase from last week’s rate of 8.6. A rate exceeding 10 is enough to send L.A. County into the medium level.

L.A. County’s coronavirus case rate has been increasing since late October, and in the last half of November began posting a 30% to 40% week-over-week increase. For the week that ended Wednesday, L.A. County was recording 2,483 cases a day — or 172 cases a week for every 100,000 residents. A case rate of 100 or more is considered high.

The case rate has risen by more than 150% since Halloween, when there were 68 cases a week for every 100,000 residents.

“These numbers clearly demonstrate that COVID is still with us,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday.

COVID-19 deaths remain stable, at around 56 deaths per week. But there is concern that if cases continue to rise, so too will deaths, eventually.