4,198 New Positive Cases and 51 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb 8 – Today, Public Health confirmed 51 additional deaths and 4,198 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 51 new deaths reported today, three people were between the ages of 30-49, seven were between the ages of 50-64, 13 were between the ages of 65-79, and 24 were aged 80 years or older. Of the 51 newly reported deaths, 43 had underlying health conditions. Information on the four deaths reported by the City of Long Beach is available at www.LongBeach.gov. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 29,506.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,735,688 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 5%.

There are 2,702 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,202,900 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

With the Omicron surge continuing its decline, Public Health officials caution that “post-surge” does not indicate an end to the pandemic but rather that COVID-19 metrics are stabilizing across the county.

For the week ending February 7, LA County reported an average of 9,800 daily cases, representing a 47% decrease from the average of 18,617 daily cases reported the previous week. Similarly, the daily average case rate decreased to 102 positive cases per 100,000 residents for the week ending February 7, compared to 193 positive cases per 100,000 residents for the prior week, representing a 47% decline in the average daily case rate. The seven-day average daily test positivity rate also declined from 8% to 5%, a 40% decline from the week prior.

In addition to the encouraging case and test positivity trends, hospital admissions for COVID-positive patients in LA County have also significantly declined. For the week ending February 7, the seven-day average of daily hospital admissions decreased by 111 admissions from the prior week to 310 admissions; this represents a 26% decline in County hospital admissions. Today there are 2,702 patients with COVID hospitalized.

Public Health will consider LA County to be “post-surge” when COVID daily hospitalizations drop below 2,500 for seven consecutive days.

Once LA County enters post surge, masking will no longer be required in outdoor spaces at outdoor Mega Events or in outdoor spaces at childcare facilities and K-12 schools. The masking requirement at indoor establishments will continue until:

LA County has two consecutive weeks at or below Moderate Transmission (10-49.99 new cases/100,000 persons in the past seven days), as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention OR
Vaccines have been available for children under age five for eight weeks; And no emerging reports of significantly circulating new variants of concern that threaten vaccine effectiveness.

Per state regulations, indoor masking at K-12 schools, childcare facilities, youth settings, healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless and emergency shelters, and cooling centers is still required.

Additionally, per federal regulations, masking when riding public transit and in transportation is still required.

Employers must also continue to provide high quality and well-fitting masks to workers who are in close contact with others until transmission is lower. Vaccination verification will also continue at mega events and indoor sections of bars, lounges, nightclubs, wineries, breweries, and distilleries.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Post surge does not mean the pandemic is over or that transmission is low or that there will not be additional unpredictable waves of surges in the future that will require integrated public health measures. Rather, post surge acknowledges that we’re stabilizing with consistent declines from the surge peak and it realigns our current public health response to meet current mitigation needs. And with the current levels of transmission, the safest action for all of us is to protect ourselves and our essential workers by layering in protections, which include testing, vaccinations, infection control, and masking. Being cautious still makes sense and doing everything we can to drive down the high rate of transmission is an appropriate goal for us to continue to embrace as a community as the steps we’re taking are helping us move in the right direction.”

To reduce spread and keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:

Adhere to masking requirements when indoors or at crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

Remain home when sick, isolate if they test positive and quarantine if they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19.