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Health May 04, 2023
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Los Angeles County reported its 25th COVID-19-related pediatric death Thursday, while again warning about the presence of a newly emerging strain of the virus.
No details were released about the pediatric death, which was one of 51 virus-related fatalities recorded over the past week. That figure was down slightly from 54 deaths recorded the previous week.
As of Tuesday, the county had recorded a total of 36,247 virus-related fatalities from throughout the pandemic.
Other COVID-19 metrics also held mostly steady or decreased slightly. The county reported another 2,533 COVID infections over the past week, down from 2,659 the previous week. The weekly average number of new COVID-related hospital admissions was 266, down slightly from 275.
“Our data metrics are reassuring and allowing many of us to engage with less risk in the activities we love,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “In order for us to be able to understand the level of risk, it is important to continue monitoring patterns of transmission and severe illness, along with understanding when and how the virus is mutating. This makes it easier for each of us to increase or decrease the common-sense precautions we take to protect ourselves and others in our families, communities and at work.
“For those at higher risk for severe illness, common-sense precautions may always need to be taken and this includes being up to date with the bivalent booster to minimize, even during times of lower transmission, the risk of being hospitalized or dying.”
The latest strain of the virus, officially known as XBB.1.16 but commonly referred to as Arcturus, continues to show its presence locally, although still at low levels, according to the county. The variant accounted for 2.4% of COVID specimens locally that underwent specialized testing to identify strains of the virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that Arcturus accounts for 10.3% of all cases in the western region that includes California.
Health officials have noted that there is a possible link between the Arcturus strain and pink eye, and with other symptoms “that could be easily confused with allergies.”
“COVID-19 numbers remain stable and low in Los Angeles County, however, in past years, Los Angeles County has seen a rise in COVID-19 transmission in late spring and summer months as the school year ends and summer festivities start,” according to a statement from the Department of Public Health. “Public Health officials remain optimistic a summer uptick in cases can be minimized so long as residents take sensible precautions.”
On Friday morning, the World Health Organization announced that it no longer classified the virus as a global public health emergency, ending a declaration that was made three years ago when COVID-19 began spreading widely.
Speaking at a news conference in Switzerland, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “For more than a year, the pandemic has been on a downward trend with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection, mortality decreasing and the pressure on health systems easing. This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19.”
The United States is scheduled to end its COVID emergency declaration next Thursday.
Ghebreyesus warned, however, that the move by the WHO does not mean that COVID no longer poses and threat, saying the virus is “still killing and it’s still changing.”
Updated May 5, 2023, 9:02 a.m.
