More than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported by Los Angeles County on Tuesday, May 10, as the total number of virus-related deaths hit the grim milestone of 32,000.
The 2,044 new infections reported Tuesday brought the county’s overall total from throughout the pandemic to 2,897,513.
The county recorded four more COVID-related deaths to hit the 32,000 mark.
The number of COVID-positive patients at county hospitals rose slightly to 252, up 10 from Monday. The number of those patients treated in intensive care was 27 on Tuesday, the same as the day before.
Health officials noted that while the number of COVID cases has risen sharply in recent weeks, the number of hospitalizations has remained relatively stable and daily deaths have continued to decline. On Monday, the county’s public health department highlighted the effectiveness of COVID vaccines in preventing serious illness from viral infection.
“The lower number of hospitalizations and deaths reflects, in large part, the protection offered by the vaccines against the variants,” according to the county’s public health department. “For the week ending April 22, unvaccinated individuals were four times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated, but unboosted residents, and five times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated and boosted.”
According to the county, over the past week, the county has seen an average of four virus-related deaths per day, a 72% decrease from a month ago. The average daily number of hospital patients positive for the virus averaged 245, about the same as a month ago.
The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 2.4% on Tuesday, a rate that has remained virtually stable over the past week.
On Monday, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer urged people to consider getting vaccinated and getting stronger ahead of the Memorial Day holidays and subsequent summer gatherings.
“So that these occasions do not contribute to the increasing spread of Omicron variants, we encourage attendees to take reasonable precautions that will protect you and those around you, including staying outdoors whenever possible and wearing a mask indoors,” she said in a statement. “And given the high number of infected asymptomatic individuals, testing before congregating with others, especially if congregating indoors, is an effective and practical safety measure that can easily prevent the spread of the virus. virus. More importantly, those who are older and those with underlying medical conditions should be sure to be bolstered as soon as they are eligible to maximize protection against these highly infectious mutated variants of concern.