LOS ANGELES—The center of the Covid-19 pandemic in America’s second-largest city has shifted from poor, crowded neighborhoods to affluent ones with younger populations.
Across Los Angeles County, cities and neighborhoods including West Hollywood, Venice and Santa Monica now report some of the most infections, even though their vaccination rates are higher than in poorer areas such as East Los Angeles, where Covid-19 raced through families and neighborhoods during earlier surges, county health data shows.
The shift is a consequence of the Delta variant, which spreads more easily among people who gather indoors in such places as bars, clubs and restaurants and can affect people who are vaccinated, according to doctors.
Los Angeles shows how the Delta variant is prompting a surge that is different from what occurred earlier. Some other cities across the country, facing signs of increases, are taking steps such as mandating masks or requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining instead of measures including the lockdowns carried out early in the pandemic.
The newest surge of infections has public-health officials renewing calls for caution, regardless of vaccination status, as more people return to pre-pandemic activities. Though the fully vaccinated are far less likely to suffer serious illness or be hospitalized, according to hospitalization data from around the country, health officials in Los Angeles are now directing everyone to wear masks indoors and return to other precautions, including social distancing when possible.