Amid another COVID-19 surge, Los Angeles County has seen a jump in reports of outbreaks among younger people at workplaces.
Public health officials said Wednesday that people between the ages of 18 and 49 currently have the highest case rates in the county. People within that age range also account for the majority of the county's workforce.
"This isn't the first time that younger people fuel this pandemic in terms of cases," said Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director. Ferrer said she expects worksite outbreaks to keep going up.
"We do have outbreaks at bars and at restaurants and at our food manufacturing plants. All places where, without a lot of care, it is very easy for there to be spread," she said.
Her department is investigating about 140 outbreaks, up 155 percent from the week of July 12.
There has been a five-fold increase in outbreaks in non-residential settings, which includes food and retail stores.