The hospitalization number has come down significantly from over 4,800 in mid-January at the height of the Omicron-fueled winter surge, and is generally at its lowest levels since last summer.
The latest numbers come one day after L.A. County and the state marked another milestone in the pandemic by officially lifting the requirement that attendees at indoor mega-events such as sporting events or concerts show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test.
Health officials have noted, however, that private businesses are entitled to enact their own virus-control measures if they desire, such as requiring masks or checking for vaccinations or negative tests. The county on Friday reported 1,167 new COVID infections, notably higher than the 784 reported on Thursday. Since the pandemic began, the county has recorded a cumulative total of 2,834,317 infections.
Ferrer said Thursday the highly infections BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19 was increasing its influence in the county, representing 32% of cases that underwent specialized laboratory sequencing to identify strains of the virus for the week ending March 12. That was nearly double the rate from the previous week.
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