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Health Jan 24, 2023
| Photo courtesy of the National Institutes of Health
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The number of COVID-19-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals fell below the 800 mark Tuesday, continuing a generally downward trend from the past several months.
According to state figures, there were 761 COVID-positive hospital patients in the county as of Tuesday, down from 830 on Saturday.
Falling hospitalization numbers and a declining rate of admissions contributed to the county being recently moved into the “low” COVID community level by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last Wednesday, there were 958 COVID-positive patients hospitalized in the county.
County officials reported 919 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, giving the county a cumulative total from throughout the pandemic of 3,669,720. Overall case numbers are believed to be undercounts of actual virus activity, due to most people relying on at-home tests without the reporting the results, and others not testing at all.
The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 4.7% as of Tuesday, holding roughly steady over the past week.
The county also reported 20 new virus-related deaths on Tuesday, raising the overall death toll to 35,167.
Masks are still required indoors at health-care and congregate-care facilities in the county, and for anyone exposed to the virus in the past 10 days, and at businesses where they are required by the owner. They are not required in other locations, but they remain “strongly recommended.”
