COVID, flu, RSV cases on the rise across L.A. County as holiday season ends
Will Conybeare and Jacqueline Sarkissian
Public health officials are advising Los Angeles County residents of a spike in sicknesses as the holiday season comes to a close.
Those who gathered for the holidays and then traveled back are said to be the main spreaders, and while a rise in COVID-19 cases is typical, this year’s uptick also coincides with a rise in flu and RSV cases.
According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, coronavirus hospitalizations surpassed 800 per day on Jan. 2, with the highest number of cases coming around Christmas.
As of Thursday, just under four people die due to COVID per day in L.A. County, health officials said.
Cases of the flu also rose as the new year began, according to a health department release. An average of 425 influenza-positive patients in the hospital per day was reported for the week ending on Dec. 30, a slight decline from the previous week but still nearly double the levels seen a month ago.
“Although the decline in the most recent week is an encouraging sign, it is still too soon to tell if flu activity has peaked for this season,” public health officials said.
The L.A. County Public Health Department’s Respiratory Watch, which keeps track of RSV cases through virologic surveillance, reported nearly 500 weekly positive cases in the last week of December. That number is down to 238 for the week ending Jan. 6.
While L.A. County has been moved to low hospitalization admissions rate status by the CDC, officials have brought back a mask mandate for healthcare workers and visitors in healthcare settings.
As for statewide statistics, California has a “very high” respiratory illness level, according to the CDC, one of 37 states to be in that category.
Nationally, COVID and RSV positivity rates remained stable while positive flu cases decreased slightly, federal health officials confirmed.
However, COVID-19 wastewater viral activity levels are very high across the U.S., the CDC said.
