COVID-19 cases are continuing to climb in Los Angeles County, as are the number of people hospitalized with infections, as the typical summer surge in the illness creeps up. Among those recently testing positive for the coronavirus was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, whose office disclosed the result Friday morning, shortly before she spoke at a press conference virtually, through Zoom. The mayor first tested positive for the virus in June 2023.
The rise of COVID in California comes as levels of coronavirus in the state’s wastewater remain high, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doctors have noted an earlier-than-normal rise for this time of year, beginning in May in L.A. County.
The midyear rise in county COVID cases and hospitalizations didn’t begin until early July in 2021 and 2023, though in 2022 it started in early May. For the week ending June 23, the most current data available, reported cases averaged 215 per day, up from 154 the prior week. A month before that — for the week that ended May 26 — an average of 83 cases a day were reported.
The official tally is an undercount, as it includes only tests done at medical facilities. The tally does not reflect positive at-home tests or take into account that far fewer people are tested once they’re sick. But the tallies are still helpful in detecting trends, such as when COVID is on the upswing.
The latest count shows the most new coronavirus cases per day since February’s tally, as.