LA County returning to infection rates seen in March

Los Angeles County is seeing a spike of about 10,000 cases of coronavirus a week, a threshold that has not been hit since March, according to data compiled by the Los Angeles Times.

LA County recorded a “significant increase” of COVID-19 hospitalizations since its full reopening on June 15, health officials said in a statement Monday. Cases have increased by 700 percent since reopening. Additionally, test positivity went from 0.4 percent on June 15 to 4.1 percent Monday.  

“L.A. County continues to see alarming trends of increased community spread,” Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in the statement. “The spread of the more infectious Delta variant through intermingling of unmasked individuals where vaccination status is unknown has caused a rapid spread of COVID-19 that is resulting in a significant increase in cases and hospitalizations.”

According to the statement, there were 528 people hospitalized for the virus on Monday, an increase from 372 people recorded the week prior.

About 60 percent of residents are at least partially vaccinated, according to the Times’s data. However, officials are continuing to push eligible residents to get fully vaccinated.

“Since vaccines remain the most powerful tool for reducing spread, now is the time to get your vaccine,” Ferrer said in the statement.

The recent spike has led to health officials reinstating mask mandates in the area last week, requiring individuals to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status. 

“By wearing masks indoors at public places and worksites, we can get back to slowing the spread of the virus,” Ferrer said.

A total of 1,357 new cases and two deaths were reported Monday, according to the Times.