Mask Mandates Return to LA County Healthcare Facilities

Staff and visitors at all licensed healthcare facilities in Los Angeles County are once again required to wear masks after the county entered the “medium” level of COVID-19 hospital admissions as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Over the past week in Los Angeles County, there have been notable, yet not unexpected, increases in COVID-19 reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” the county’s Department of Health said in a public statement, reports ABC7 in Los Angeles.

The department added that even though the recent uptick is “significant” the numbers remain “consistently” lower than last winter’s peak, but “common-sense protections are strongly recommended to help curb transmission and severe illness as the new year begins.”

The CDC has reported 10.5 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people in Los Angeles County for the week ending Dec. 23, and the threshold to meet centers’ medium-level threshold is between 10 and 19.9 new admissions per 100,000 people.

The numbers mean that all healthcare personnel, regardless of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status, are required to wear a mask when in contact with patients or in patient-care areas, as well as anyone visiting a licensed healthcare facility that provides inpatient care, the health department said.

As of Dec. 23, there were 609 COVID-positive patients in the LA County hospitals, up from 259 on Nov. 1 but less than at this time last year, when there were more than 1,200 patients with the virus in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the reported daily average has increased since lat week by more than 25%, going up from 495 to 621, the health department said. However, many people with COVID aren’t being counted as a large number of home test results haven’t been reported.

Doctors are required to mask when around patients and while in patient-care areas. This will remain in effect The department is also reporting the average of COVID deaths has risen to five daily, an increase from two earlier in December.

Most of those dying from the disease have pre-existing conditions like heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes.

Last week, the LA Health Department said the increase is possibly being caused by new COVID strains, such as JN.1, the new strain descended from the Omicron line. However, JN.1 does not seem to be causing more severe cases of the disease.