Los Angeles County is seeing an increase in COVID-19 deaths. While cases and hospitalizations have shot up in recent weeks, deaths are just now starting to really rise.
There have been 113 deaths reported over the past seven days. That's up 43 percent from the previous week. It is a significant jump, but the number of deaths is nowhere near as high as what the county saw during the winter surge when relatively few people were vaccinated. Deaths during the winter surge peaked at an average of 254 a day.
Amid the spread of the super-contagious Delta variant, public health officials note cases are going up in nursing homes, despite high vaccination rates among staff and residents.
“When transmission is at high levels in L.A. County, there are ripple effects that lead to increased cases among healthcare workers, facility residents and visitors," said county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer in a statement.
Officials are reminding any unvaccinated staffers that health care workers have to be vaccinated by Sept. 30.
Nursing home visitors have to mask up and show proof of full vaccination or a recent negative test. Public health officials recommend keeping visits outdoors if possible.
"Wearing a well-fitting face mask is another important action visitors must take to protect these most vulnerable individuals,” said Ferrer.