LA County Health Officials Report 5 New Cases Of UK Variant, Urge People To Stay Home For Upcoming Holidays
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Tuesday reported 3,353 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 227 deaths, bringing countywide totals to 1,152,239 cases and 18,360 deaths.
Of the 227 new deaths reported, 66 people who died were over the age of 80, 95 people were between the ages of 65 and 79, 51 people were between the ages of 50 and 64 and four people were between the ages of 30 and 49. Eight deaths were reported by the city of Long Beach and three were reported by the city of Pasadena.
Health officials also reported that there were 4,079 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the county, 29% of whom were being treated in intensive care units.
"We are only weeks away from reducing transmission in L.A. County to a level where elementary schools will be allowed by the state to offer in-class instruction, provided they adhere to all State and County directives," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said. "Schools that decide to open will need to require masking, distancing and routine testing. Please do your part to continue to slow the spread so that our recovery journey does not suffer a setback."
The new data comes as Public Health confirmed five additional cases of the more contagious COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom, bringing the total to eight known cases in the county.
"The B.1.1.7 variant is more easily transmissible, and verification of the variant in L.A. County means residents and businesses must be extremely diligent adhering to all public health safety measures, including wearing face coverings, distancing from others, and handwashing," the department said. "These measures protect against transmission of the virus and known variants."
Health officials also warned against non-essential travel for the upcoming Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day and Presidents Day holidays, stating that "shared transportation, including travel by air, bus, or rail, can not only put travelers at risk but also members of the community."
Those who choose to travel to L.A. County must self-quarantine for 10 days and avoid contact with others.
With testing results available for more than 5,622,000 individuals, the county's overall positivity rate was holding steady at 19%.
