The spike upward runs counter to what had been a pattern of steadily dropping numbers in recent months.
LOS ANGELES — The growing local spread of COVID-19 was evidenced Wednesday, May 18, when Los Angeles County reported 4,384 new infections, and perhaps more troubling, the number of people hospitalized surged upward.363 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Wednesday, up from 327 a day earlierCOVID hospital numbers had been steadily dropping in recent months, falling to as far as 219 on April 20, but the number has been inching upward ever since.
Another 10 COVID deaths were also reported, raising the cumulative virus-related death toll in the county to 32,055. Health officials have noted that most people who die from COVID suffer from various underlying health conditions. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the cumulative seven-day average rate of new cases in the county is about 185 per 100,000 residents — above the rate of 176 from last Thursday. If that rate reaches 200 per 100,000 residents, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will shift the county from the “low” community COVID level to “medium.
Ferrer said the county’s current rate of new admissions is 3.1 per 100,000 residents, and the rate of hospital beds occupied by COVID-positive patients is just under 2%.
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