As Los Angeles residents shuffle back to school and work, there's no reprieve from the persistent clutch of COVID-19 and flu. The county's Department of Public Health is waving a flag of caution, urging folks to adopt common-sense safeguards against an uptick in virus transmissions and hospital bed fill-ups. The latest Public Health data sets off alarms with SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations rising to 60% of the previous winter's high, moving up from 49% just last week. Correspondingly, COVID-related hospital stays are on the rise, averaging 806 heads per day in the first week of January.
Just when it seemed like we had our hands around COVID's neck, a new variant, JN.1, is putting up a serious fight for dominance in the L.A. scene. It’s gaining ground swiftly, tagged responsible for 61% of sequenced specimens locally. Medical authorities are on edge as the county's COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level matches the CDC’s "Medium" rating for the second week in a row.
The flu isn't sitting this dance out either. It's partying hard with an average of 425 hospital patients per day the week before New Year's. While a recent dip in positive flu specimens seems to hint at potential relief, the health honchos warn it’s too early to call a peak for this season. Nonetheless, officials are using this window to push for more arm jabs with the flu and updated COVID vaccines—a move they argue can still throttle back severe illness for anyone six months or older.
New instructions have been shredded from authorities for COVID-19 cases and their close contacts, switching up the isolation game plan. Folks with a positive diagnosis now have an updated script on how to navigate social spaces, essentially strapping on a high-grade mask for a 10-day stint post-symptom onset or positive test. In an echo of CDPH and workplace guidelines, the message is clear: If you’re positive but symptom-free, you're still in the mix as long as you're hiding behind a proper mask.
Other guidelines reiterate the importance of masking for those testing positive and testing for close contacts. Those cozy with a confirmed case should get tested pronto if symptoms peek out or within 3-5 days post-exposure if they're still in the clear, symptom-wise. Businesses and schools, meanwhile, are granted the green light to enforce stricter policies should they choose, to stick to older isolation measures for their camps.
Treatment talks are also abuzz, spotlighting antivirals as the go-to solution when those telltale signs like coughs and sneezes signal viral intrusion. Both flu and COVID meds, from Tamiflu to Paxlovid, are ready across county pharmacies, awaiting a doc’s call to spring into action within that critical early window following symptoms or a positive test.
With community resources like vaccines, tests, and treatments on the table, the Public Health InfoLine remains a beacon for those with questions about COVID-19 or how to snag help. And if you're hankering for the latest data on the virus's grip on L.A., it’s all there on the department’s website—weekly updates keeping everyone in the loop.
