The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continued its gradual decline, dropping by nine people to 446.
LOS ANGELES — The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continued its gradual decline, dropping by nine people to 446, according to the latest state figures.Those numbers come one day after local health officials reported 15 more deaths linked to the virus and 1,329 new infections, lifting the county’s cumulative totals to 33,811 fatalities and 3,470,848 cases since the pandemic began.
The official number of cases reported each day is believed to be an undercount of actual virus activity in the county, due to the prevalent use of at-home tests that are not always reported to the county, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. County officials have said that roughly 40% of the COVID-positive hospital patients were admitted specifically for COVID, while the others were hospitalized for other reasons but tested positive upon admission.County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted Thursday that the past two winters have seen significant surges in infections, with more people spending time indoors and mingling in areas with reduced ventilation.
But with new variants constantly arising and vaccine protection waning over time, there is always the fear that another surge could again threaten hospital capacity.