LA coronavirus cases hit highest level in months as BA.4 and BA.5 bring reinfections
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County’s coronavirus case rate hit its highest point in nearly five months over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, a troubling sign of how two new super-infectious omicron strains are creating conditions for a fraught summer.
Two omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, have become dominant nationwide, and they appear to be among the most contagious yet of this pandemic.
Coronavirus case rates have also been increasing statewide, with the San Francisco Bay Area reporting California’s highest rate. Hospitalizations have also been creeping up, but hospitals haven’t reported being overwhelmed. Still, experts are concerned the next weeks could see more rapid spread that would put new pressures on the healthcare system.
“Right now, if we go up more, it is going to get into a little bit more of a danger zone with hospitalizations,” with a potential to strain the healthcare system, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious-disease expert.
Too many coronavirus-positive patients can impact hospital operations, even if they’re being treated for non-COVID-19
