Los Angeles County Sees Surge In COVID-19 Cases As Delta Variant Spreads

New coronavirus cases in LA County are up 165% compared to last week.

A surge in COVID-19 cases involving the delta variant of the coronavirus has Los Angeles County health authorities on high alert and again urging residents to wear masks when they’re inside public spaces. The county, home to some 10 million people, experienced a 165% increase in new cases compared to last week, the county health department said Thursday. The daily average case rate now stands at 3.5 cases per 100,000 people, an increase from last week’s rate of 1.74 cases per 100,000. LA County’s daily test positivity rate, which reflects the percent of COVID-19 tests that come back positive, is 2.5%, also an increase from last week’s rate of 1.2%. That’s a sharp rise from the 0.3% positivity rate recorded in the county at the end of May, just before California broadly reopened its economy.