In what may be the first sign of the beginning of the end of the Omicron surge in Los Angeles, the 7-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus has fallen dramatically in the past week.
Test positivity is considered a better measure of the rate of spread than raw case counts because it is a percentage that is averaged over a week’s time.Test positivity has fallen nearly 20% over the past week in L.A.
County, reaching 16.5% on Monday. That was down from 20.2% last Tuesday. The rate hit a recent high of 26.5% on January 1. Health officials noted, however, that even at 16.5%, the rate is still eight times higher than the 2% test-positivity rate one month ago.The county Department of Public Health confirmed another 31,576 new daily infections on Monday, a number that is likely low due to delays in weekend reporting.
The daily count, which went over 45,000 on Thursday and has generally remained above 40,000 this week, has yet to show significant declines.Health officials have been raising concerns about the current surge in cases impacting a hospital system already strained by staffing shortages, which have been further exacerbated by Covid infections among health care professionals.The number of Covid-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals inched upward again today to 4,564.
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