LA County Reaches 100 MIS-C Cases As COVID Hospitalizations Fall Below 2,000
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Thursday reported 2,072 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 132 deaths, bringing countywide totals to 1,187,474 cases and 21,102 deaths.
Of the new deaths reported, 41 people were over the age of 80, 42 people were between the ages of 65 and 79, 30 people were between the ages of 50 and 64 and nine people were between the ages of 30 and 49. Long Beach reported eight deaths and Pasadena added two.
Health officials also reported that COVID-19 hospitalizations had dropped below 2,000 for the first time in three months — with 1,988 COVID patients hospitalized, 30% of whom were being treated in intensive care units.
"While case and hospitalization numbers have declined, COVID-19 remains widespread and deadly and variant cases are increasing," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said. "We still have more progress to make that will allow for further re-openings so please continue keeping your distance from others, wearing a mask correctly over both your nose and mouth, and washing your hands often."
Public Health also reported 10 additional cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 100 children. All of the children diagnosed with the illness were hospitalized and 40% were treated in intensive care units. One child has died from the syndrome in L.A. County.
Health officials said the county has experienced more than a 77% increase in children with MIS-C in the past month, calling it a "distressing delayed result of the surge we experienced in December and January."
Of those diagnosed with the syndrome, 30% were under the age of 5 years old, 40% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 30% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latinx children account for 71% of the reported cases.
With testing results available for more than 5,801,000 individuals, the county's overall positivity rate was holding steady at 19%, though the daily positivity rate had fallen to 3.2%.
