Los Angeles County Facing Increase in COVID-19 Cases, With Low Hospitalizations

By Mary Webber Apr 18 2022, 01:39 AM EDT

Los Angeles County has recently reported an uptick in its COVID-19 cases, with new infections totaling 241, according to new figures.

Out of those cases, 34 were in intensive care, which was an increase of three from Friday's total, according to an NBC Los Angeles News report.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the area were considered to be relatively low in the area, with a steadily rising COVID infection rate in the county.

County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted on Thursday that the county is reaching an average of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, which was a jump from an average of 878 the previous week.

The widespread COVID-19 variant in the area is the BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19, which is a more infectious version of the Omicron variant. The Omicron subvariant is believed to represent 67 percent of new infections.

Los Angeles County COVID-19 Cases Jump

The recent increase raises concerns about a possible surge in cases as millions of people are eyeing numerous holidays such as Easter, Passover, and Ramadan gatherings, according to an ABC 7 News report.

A new California state study finds that COVID-19 cases are "substantially undercounted."

Amid the increase of COVID-19 cases, a group of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers wants an end to vaccination mandates.

One protester shouted, "save our kids from academic crisis."

An LAUSD teacher, Soni Lloyd, said that they have been pushed out of their classroom solely because they want to choose what goes into their body.

An increase in hospitalizations has generally been followed by increases in daily cases by about two weeks.

BA.2 variant's increased ability to infect people is thought to be a shorter incubation period, meaning hospitalizations have been rising sooner, according to a Deadline News report.

In addition, a new study implies that the number of people in Los Angeles County who have been infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic is far greater than the number confirmed through standard testing.

Los Angeles County COVID-19 Mortality Rate Among Latinos

New data shows that the mortality rate for Latinos in Los Angeles County rose by 48 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021.

Other groups in Los Angeles have a mortality rate of 23 percent for Black people; 22 percent for Asians, and seven percent for whites, according to an NBC News report.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health noted that Latinos saw a 42 percent increase in mortality from 2019 to 2020, which is a 70 percent of excess deaths attributed to the virus

Dr. Ilan Shapiro, medical affairs officer and chief medical correspondent for AltaMed, noted that it was "not a surprise."

AltaMed is a Latino health care provider based in Southern California.

Shapiro said that the Latino community is made up of essential workers, but a lot of family members do not have insurance as they cannot afford it.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health noted in its report that Latinos have the highest uninsured rate of any ethnic group in the United States.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Los Angeles County reports record-breaking 37,215 daily new COVID cases - from FOX 11 Los Angeles