Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
Health

LA County COVID Cases Tripled In One Week, Though Hospitalizations Are Slower To Grow

Cars stop at a drive-through testing location in Los Angeles. A woman wearing a face mask stands at the drivers side door speaking to the driver. Large white signs reading "COVID TESTING AHEAD" are at the front and back of the photo.
A drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Los Angeles.
(
Mario Tama
/
Getty Images
)

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

L.A. County's COVID-19 cases continue to climb, with health officials reporting nearly 10,000 new infections on Friday; the highest this year since January.

The number represents a tripling in cases since the beginning of the week.

The county's positivity rate is also up to nearly 10% over the last seven weeks. Officials also reported 21 new deaths on Friday, and 801 hospitalizations.

That’s the highest number of hospitalizations since early October.

The numbers are still far lower than this time last year, when L.A. County was averaging 15,500 new cases per day and 7,200 hospitalizations.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right