The Antelope Valley Times

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LA County’s COVID case rates keep dropping

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Los Angeles County has seen three consecutive weeks of decline in its weekly COVID-19 infection rate, an improvement the public health director Friday attributed in part to mask mandates and slowly rising vaccination numbers.

Under benchmarks set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, transmission is considered in the “high” category if there are cumulatively 100 or more new cases per 100,000 residents over the course of a week. Much of the country is currently in the “high” transmission category.

Los Angeles County’s rate, however, fell this week to 104 cases per 100,000, a “welcome” 35% drop from last week, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

“This is the third week in a row we’ve seen decreases in our case rate,” Ferrer said. “Overall, we’ve seen a nearly 50% decrease from our peak of 204 cases per 100,000 people on Aug. 19. It’s worth noting that recent declines may reflect the masking requirements implemented early in the surge and the small increases in our vaccination coverage.

“Other parts of the country that don’t have masking requirements and don’t have as much vaccination coverage have not seen these significant declines in cases,” Ferrer said.

If the county’s rate continues to decrease and falls below 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period, it could move into the CDC’s less-severe “substantial” transmission category. But Ferrer warned that a reversal of fortune could still occur.

“While we welcome the decreases, we do anticipate that with increased routine screening testing and intermingling at schools and worksites, along with Labor Day travel and gatherings, we do face the risk that our case numbers could once again increase,” she said.

Ferrer also again lamented the slow pace of vaccinations in the county. She said over the past week only about 56,000 first doses were administered in the county.

“We are making very little progress,” she said. Ferrer expressed hope that vaccination mandates like those announced Thursday by the Los Angeles Unified School District for eligible students 12 and over and by President Joe Biden for workers at large companies will have an impact. She also repeated the assertion that vaccinated people continue to represent a fraction of new COVID infections and hospitalizations. According to August figures, unvaccinated people in the county were 4.2 times more likely to get infected, 11.7 times more likely to be hospitalized and 10 times more likely to die from COVID-19.

Of the nearly 5.4 million fully vaccinated people in the county as of Sept. 7, 43,598 had tested positive, for a rate of 0.81%, she said. A total of 1,243 fully vaccinated people have been hospitalized, for a rate of 0.023% and 165 have died, for a rate of 0.0031%.

According to the most recent numbers, 75% of eligible county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 66% are fully vaccinated. Among the county’s overall population of 10.3 million, 65% have received one dose and 57% are fully vaccinated. That population figure includes roughly 1.3 million people under age 12 who are ineligible for shots.

Black residents in the county continue to have the lowest vaccination rate, at 51% overall with at least one dose. Among Black residents aged 12-15, just 35% have received at least one dose.

The county reported 50 new COVID-19 deaths on Friday, raising the cumulative death toll during the pandemic to 25,611. Another 2,024 cases were also reported, giving the county an overall pandemic total of 1,427,817. The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus in the county was 2.6% as of Friday, down slightly from last Friday.

According to state figures, there were 1,321 COVID-positive patients hospitalized in the county, down from 1,368 on Thursday. It’s the 11th day in row the hospitalization number has fallen. There were 387 patients in intensive care, down from 404 on Thursday.

The county last week announced that it had identified 167 instances of the Mu variant of COVID-19 locally. But Ferrer said Friday that a lab reanalyzed samples dating back several months, and determined there have actually been 232 cases of the Mu variant locally, along with 28 instances of the Lambda variant.

While the Mu variant has raised eyebrows over concerns it could potentially evade vaccines, it has not yet risen to the level of being considered a “variant of concern” by health officials. Ferrer said the highly infectious Delta variant is still the biggest threat, representing nearly 100% of all samples that undergo genetic sequencing to identify variants.

Los Angeles County will not be reporting daily COVID-19 case numbers over the weekend, with Ferrer saying the health department will be working on upgrades to its data processing systems.

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19 comments for "LA County’s COVID case rates keep dropping"

    • LOL… Basic Clowns are always entertaining.

      ProTip: just because a right wing loon calls their blog “justfacts” doesn’t mean you can assume they will post just facts.

      Bottom line on masks…when I exhale little spit drops are part of the deal, that’s how respiration works. Any viral infections I have will be represented in those little spit drops: covid, flu, common cold, whatever.

      I where a mask because I may have a viral infection that I don’t want to share, and little spit drops will just moisten the inner surface of the mask. If you are wanting to share any infections you might have, then don’t where one. It means you are clearly an asshat, but there’s no law…oh, wait, yeah there is. Anyway, whatever works for you.

  2. You guy’s act like this is the first time people die ! People have been dying since the beginning about 150…., a day a day Death is nothing new stop feeding into the propaganda use your brain people don’t be so stupid!! Instead of fighting over the vaccine virus and mask y not examine your life style and your families to see if your everyday choices are part of your health or are you just worried about what the news tells you

  3. Cases are dropping because the CDC as of May 1, decided not to count “breakthrough” cases unless they were hospitalized or death occurs. They can make any “statistic” they choose.

    • Walter, you mean that ICUs are not overflowing in Florida under Desantis?

      In oraange Republicans states COVID is surging among the unvaccinated and they’re dying too.

      I guess you don’t care. It’s Republicans dying in the orange states. Gee that’s terrible.

  4. Umm no …vaccine immunity yes that’s improving but natural immunity is way more the reason then masks. What a stupid way to read the data. Infections were way up…that’s the data then …two to three weeks later natural immunity kicks in..notice that hospital rates did not skyrocket because these are the young and healthy that got the virus… which is the logical path for these infections…then comes lower infection rates as fewer folks can get the virus because more folks are immune because vaccines and natural recovery from infections. Saying a mask has anything to do with it when infection rose while masks were in use is completely bad science and politically driven BS. Common people Humans did not evolve into new immune deficient animals because of COVID. Let science rule here not politics!

    • One question, my little lying troll of trump; if masks don’t work, why do doctors and nurses wear them during surgeries and dealing with other infectious diseases? I’ll help you on that one: because the science for over a hundred years has shown that it works to help prevent the spreading of microbes of varying types from one person to another. This is settled fact and common sense.

      But, then again, facts don’t really matter to you little political projectionist gaslighters, do they?

      • Little fact, asbestos is LARGER than covid 19. Asbestos CAN fit through the current masks used. So…you do the math. It’s so annoying that it’s a left or right issue. It is a right and wrong issue and Stinger you are wrong.

        • Put the asbestos on a little spit droplet, like the covid virus that just blew out of a mouth is going to be, and guess what, it wouldn’t get through the mask either. Stinger, who is agreeing with 90% plus of medical professionals, is correct. You, who are agreeing with 90% of right wing propagandists and Russian trolls, are wrong. Moving on…

        • I couldn’t help but notice, my little russian propagandist, that you didn’t answer the question.

          IF, as you so righteously, yet wrongly, claim, they don’t work, why have they been in use for over a hundred years by all medical professionals in the course of their duties?

          Present properly peer reviewed studies to support your bullschnit. Otherwise, you’re just another Zink.

      • Medical Masks work if you wash your hands before you put them on and wash your hands before and after when you remove them. The masks people use over and over and touch over and over do not work. This is as common sense thinking as it gets – no degree needed. Also think of a your underwear, would you use it over and over. Does it prevent smelling micro farts? Read study, you can get Covid-19 from going to the bathroom. https://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Study-How-Toilet-Flushing-Could-Spread-COVID-19–27050

        • How about someone else’s underwear “Doctor” Zink?

          Sure, MY respiration is coating the inside of MY mask with MY spit that contains the viruses from MY infections. Yes, if YOU get my mask rubbed in your face you may very well catch what I have.

          Come to think of it, that sounds like an entertaining project.

          Anyway, the Covid virus has been observed to spread poorly through contact/contact passages. Unlike the cold viruses, that will last a long time on a dry cold doorknob waiting foe the next warm moist hand to come along, the covid virus pretty much has to stay in the nice warm spit that you just blew out and hope someone else breathes it in before it hits the ground.

          That’s why the six foot social distancing that Doctor Zink scoffs at is so important. That’s pretty standard spitting range for typical breathing/speaking.

          Masks are important because they contain the spit. Something Doctor Zink apparently never learned in medical school. Medical masks are put on BEFORE washing hands and gloving up, because the HANDS are kept sterile for the benefit of the patient. The mask keeps the doctor from spitting in the patient every time they exhale; again this is for the benefit of the patient. Just like my mask would keep me from spitting on Doctor Zink’s med school diploma, no matter how spit worthy it might be.

          So, bottom line, I wear a mask for the benefit of those around me. If you come around and don’t want me to wear it, fine, I’ll happily take it off and spit on you. Just keep yours on.

  5. Doctor Zink has a dangerous ring to it. Of course knowing it all is a huge responsibility that he has to carry.

  6. Having Covid-19 gives you Natural Immunity. Cases are dropping because of this and vaccine. Just like chickenpox’s, it is rare to get it twice. But the problem with the “vaccine” is all you are doing is putting off getting Covid-19 because the variant will keep changing. If your high risk you probably should take vaccine for life until World Herd Immunity happens. The worst thing is for young healthy people under 65 to take vaccine because it prevents Herd Immunity and them getting Natural Immunity. In my opinion the government has made huge mistake by not having Natural Immunity in the battle strategy to overcome Covid-19. I think the public is starting to know this and that is why there is so much mistrust in government and health officials. You don’t need a degree to read data to come to this conclusion. The Public using Mask’s don’t work, follow studies. Don’t take vaccine if your healthy because your hurting the recovery effort in my opinion.

    • All studies available show everything that you have posted to be flat out lies… again. Seriously, Zink, stop being a traitor to the human race by trying to give aid and comfort to this enemy of our entire species.

      You got stock in funeral homes, or something, Zink?

      • But no retort of what the OP posted,

        All I see is “Lies”
        Common from the left, just do a drive by claiming everything lies with no logical retort or stats to claim otherwise.

    • Zink is a trumpster so he is bound to repeat their BS as his research has already been done by the deposed and former president, 45 had to go as he would make stuff up too.