Southern California entered 2022 in the midst of a rapid upswing in coronavirus cases from the Omicron variant, with adults ages 18 to 49 transmitting the virus at a high rate and officials urging the public to curtail holiday weekend gatherings to help slow the surge.
Los Angeles County recorded more than 27,000 new cases on the final day of 2021, far above last winter’s peak average of 16,000 cases a day. Nearly 1 in 4 people who are being tested are positive for a coronavirus infection, officials said.
The daily totals of new coronavirus cases are doubling every two days. On Tuesday, 9,473 cases were reported; Wednesday, 16,510; Thursday, 20,198; and Friday, 27,091. The positive test rate for the most recent seven-day period was 22.4%, double what it was for the week that ended on Christmas, when it was 11.4%.
More than 70% of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County from Dec. 22 to Dec. 28 were among adults younger than 50. During last winter’s surge, adults in that age range made up 55% of coronavirus cases. Case rates per 100,000 people have increased the fastest in that age group.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.