COVID hospitalizations in LA County climb past 1,000 as flu, RSV spread
The holiday season is in full swing and people are hitting the roads and skies at nearly pre-pandemic numbers. But at the same time, a triple threat of virus cases is spreading.
The Los Angeles County Health Department is reporting 5,400 new COVID cases in the three-day period from Friday, Nov. 25, to Monday, Nov. 28.
On Tuesday, they reported 1,040 COVID-positive patients that were hospitalized, 122 of whom are said to be in intensive care. According to health officials, approximately 40 percent of those were admitted for coronavirus-related issues, while the others were there for other reasons and tested positive.
It is the first time that the hospitalization numbers were over 1,000 since Aug. 17, 2022.
Tuesday's overall case totals also increased, jumping to 2,370 infections. The seven-day daily average rate of people testing positive for the virus also continued to climb, reaching 14.7 percent.
Overall official case numbers are believed to be artificially low due to residents who use at-home tests and do not report the results to the county, and others who do not get tested at all.
Eight-hundred-twenty-two people were hospitalized with COVID, with 96 in intensive care, according to the most recent numbers released Thursday.
Medical experts say respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is close to overwhelming pediatric departments in hospitals in some parts of the country, while COVID and flu cases are also surging.
Experts say vaccines are still best for fighting COVID and flu, and taking a COVID test before get-togethers is advised.
There is one silver lining: Other countries have already seen their flu and RSV numbers peak early and start to come down earlier than it usually does.
The Biden Administration is on a six-week push to get more COVID booster shots into the arms of Americans. More than 35 million have received the latest bivalent booster, but they say that's just a fraction of those eligible.