Los Angeles County reported 1,280 new coronavirus cases Thursday, down from Wednesday’s six-week high of 1,645 but still well above the level the county needs to see to potentially reopen more businesses. In West Hollywood, where the number of confirmed infections on Wednesday had jumped by 10 from the day before (the largest day-to-day increase since April), saw an increase of only one today.
The county’s public health officer, Dr. Muntu Davis, said earlier Thursday that officials will be keeping a close watch on the daily case numbers in hopes that Wednesday’s spike does not turn into a trend.
“But if we’re seeing a few days or even throughout the whole week some increases, we’ll have to look closer at our data to figure out if there’s some commonality among those increases in cases,” he said.
Davis said Wednesday’s spike was too far removed from Labor Day to be linked to the holiday weekend, and it’s too early to tell if it can be linked to any recent re-openings of businesses.
The 1,645 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday was the highest daily number since Aug. 22. Public health director Barbara Ferrer said when announcing the figure that a one-day spike doesn’t indicate a trend, but added, “this is something we need to watch closely.”
The eyebrow-raising increase came at a critical time for the county, which continues to languish in the strictest level of the state’s four-tier economic-reopening roadmap. The county’s recent testing positivity rate is low enough to qualify the county to move up to a less-restrictive tier, but the average daily number of new cases needs to drop to about 700 per day before any movement will occur.
As of Wednesday, the county’s rate of new cases per 100,000 residents was averaging 7.4, above the limit of 7 needed to move out of the state’s restrictive “purple” tier.
Ferrer noted that the county’s recent daily average case numbers have fallen to levels not seen in late April and early May, so Wednesday’s spike could prove to be an anomaly.
The 1,280 new cases reported Thursday, along with 64 reported by health officials in Long Beach and four announced by Pasadena, lifted the countywide total since the start of the pandemic to 278,733.
The county also reported 21 more coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday, while Pasadena reported one additional fatality. The cumulative number of deaths in the county during the pandemic stood at 6,727 as of Thursday.
Hospitalizations in the county related to the coronavirus were at 709 as of Thursday, up from 696 on Wednesday, 685 on Tuesday and 674 on Monday.
Davis said a key element of reducing virus transmission is contact tracing, and the county has been having success on that front. He said 63% of people who have contracted the virus in the county have taken part in contact- tracing interviews, while the rest either declined to be interviewed or couldn’t be located.
He also said more than half of people interviewed provided “at least one contact for follow-up.”
“This is very good news, as our ability to reach out to people who may be potentially infected is a very important tool we have in identifying and slowing the spread the virus,” Davis said. “Speaking to cases and identifying their close contacts is a very important part of reducing transmission of COVID- 19.”
He urged anyone who receives a call from the county to speak to contact tracers, noting that the call will be displayed on people’s phones as either “L.A. Public Health” or with the number (833) 641-0305.
“I will say that every time we’re able to talk to a person, we’re able to provide information, find out who might have also been exposed and inform them of their potential risk,” Davis said. “So the more we can do that, the higher percentage we can do that, the more likely we are to be able to stop the transmission among people who many not know that they were exposed.”
After months of closure, indoor shopping malls were permitted to reopen Wednesday, though limited at 25% of capacity and with food courts and common areas remaining closed. That follows nail salons, which were permitted to reopen indoors last week; card rooms, which were allowed to open outdoors on Monday; and outdoor playgrounds, which were cleared to reopen at the discretion of individual cities.
As of today, the number of confirmed infections in West Hollywood has increased by one to 598. The number of people in West Hollywood who have died of COVID-19 related illnesses is still listed as five.
In Beverly Hills, the number of confirmed infections as of today is up by four to 713. The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Beverly Hills to date 12. The number of COVID-19 infection confirmed among Culver City residents remains at 402. The number of deaths remains at 29. The number of infections in Hollywood has increased by 10 to 1,268. That is a reduction of three from yesterday’s count, which likely reflects errors in the locations of those tested. The number of deaths remains at 14. The Melrose neighborhood’s number of infections has increased by six to 2,001. The number of COVID-19 related deaths is 72.
Public Health has a dedicated call line for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you are positive for COVID-19 and have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1 (833) 540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 can continue to call 211 for resources or more information.
One way the virus can be transmitted is through a cough, a sneeze or even through air that comes from the mouth when someone talks. For that reason, residents must wear face coverings when out in public and can be cited for not doing so. The citations come with a $250 fine and a $50 administrative fee.
West Hollywood residents with questions about the COVID-19 pandemic or who are looking for resources to deal with it can find answers on the City of West Hollywood’swebsite. Here is a list of links to sections about particular subjects and issues:
Hopefully new daily WeHo and County cases stay low. Stay vigilant! Shout out to our under-appreciated (and under-utilized) contact tracers!