As children return to classrooms and offices fill again after the summer, Los Angeles County finds COVID-19 stirring once more, with 88 active outbreaks and about 330 residents in hospitals, a count that remains modest yet has climbed steadily for six weeks. The burden falls unevenly, most heavily on the elderly and those with weakened immunity, reminding a familiar truth that each returning season reopens old vulnerabilities. Physicians and officials now look toward autumn, when an updated vaccine and a feared convergence of COVID, flu and RSV may test a community still learning how to live a
LA County COVID Cases Climb as Officials Warn of Possible 'Tripledemic' With Flu and RSV
About 330 LA County residents were hospitalized with COVID, with the elderly and immunocompromised at greatest risk.
COVID hasn't gone anywhere. It almost feels like a surge.
Mark
Why does a mask order at one Santa Monica company matter?
Mimi
It shows the county is acting on active outbreaks, not just warning in general. Lionsgate employees are being asked to mask in some parts of their offices.
Luke
But it's one workplace. The county counts 88 outbreaks, 14 at workplaces, and that tells us little about how many others got similar orders.
Mark
What about the hospital number?
Mimi
About 330 residents are hospitalized. That's low, but it has climbed steadily for six weeks.
Luke
Right, and "low" is the officials' framing. The report gives no comparison figure, so I can't tell you how low.
Mark
Dr. Bronstein said it feels like a surge. Is it one?
Mimi
That's his view from his practice in Antelope Valley. He also expects the rise to continue.
Luke
Worth noting that's one doctor's perspective, and "almost feels like" is not a declared surge. The same goes for the tripledemic. He says it may happen, and that's a forecast, not a finding.
Mark
Who is most at risk?
Mimi
People 80 and older, who were more than five times as likely to be hospitalized as those 50 to 79 so far in August.
Luke
And the 12% Eris share is an estimate, with Kraken still dominant. The early vaccine data on Eris is early trial data, not a final result.
Der Puls
- Eighty-eight active outbreaks, fourteen of them in workplaces, signal the virus spreading back into everyday life as schools reopen.
- Around 330 hospitalizations have crept upward over six weeks, and one physician says the rise almost feels like a surge.
- Residents aged 80 and older face risks more than five times greater than those aged 50 to 79, pushing officials to urge masking among the vulnerable.
- A new subvariant, Eris, is gaining ground while the dominant Kraken strain holds on, adding uncertainty to the wave.
- Experts warn of a possible tripledemic, with COVID, flu and RSV circulating together, and an updated vaccine is expected in September or early October.
As children return to classrooms and offices fill again after the summer, Los Angeles County finds COVID-19 stirring once more, with 88 active outbreaks and about 330 residents in hospitals, a count that remains modest yet has climbed steadily for six weeks. The burden falls unevenly, most heavily on the elderly and those with weakened immunity, reminding a familiar truth that each returning season reopens old vulnerabilities. Physicians and officials now look toward autumn, when an updated vaccine and a feared convergence of COVID, flu and RSV may test a community still learning how to live alongside the virus.
At Lionsgate's offices in Santa Monica, some employees have been asked to mask in certain areas, a small but visible sign that COVID-19 is moving through Los Angeles County again as schools return to full session. The county counts 88 active outbreaks, 14 of them at workplaces, and about 330 residents in the hospital. The number is still low, but it has risen steadily for six weeks.
Dr. David Bronstein, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente in Antelope Valley, sees the change in his own clinic. He says COVID has never really left, and the current uptick almost feels like a surge. He expects the climb to continue.
The danger is not shared equally. Older adults are the most exposed, with those 80 and up more than five times as likely to be hospitalized as people aged 50 to 79. Officials are asking higher-risk residents, including people with weakened immune systems and chronic conditions, to take extra precautions, masking among them.
The virus keeps changing. The Omicron subvariant EG.5, nicknamed Eris, is growing in California and makes up an estimated 12 percent of cases, while XBB.1.5, nicknamed Kraken, still dominates. Forecasters also expect an early and harsh flu season. Bronstein fears the overlap: COVID, flu and RSV circulating together, a possible tripledemic he and his colleagues are preparing for.
Help is on the way. An updated COVID vaccine is expected from September or early October, with new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to follow later in the fall. Bronstein urges everyone eligible to get it, noting early trial data suggests protection against the fast-spreading Eris. Until then, the figures to watch are the county's weekly outbreak counts and hospitalizations, and how soon flu and RSV join the picture.
At Lionsgate's offices in Santa Monica, some employees have been told to wear masks in certain parts of the workplace. The order comes from Los Angeles County health officials, and it is one of the more visible signs that COVID-19 is moving through the region again as schools return to full session.
The county reported 88 active outbreaks this week, 14 of them at workplaces. About 330 county residents are hospitalized with COVID. That number is still low, but officials say it has risen steadily over the past six weeks.
Doctors are seeing the change in their practices. Dr. David Bronstein, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente in Antelope Valley, said COVID has not gone anywhere and that the current uptick almost feels like a surge from where he works. He expects the upward trend to continue.
The risk is not spread evenly. County public health data for August shows older adults are the most vulnerable: people 80 and older were more than five times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID as those aged 50 to 79. Officials are urging people at higher risk to take extra precautions, including masking. That group includes older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those with chronic health conditions.
The virus itself is shifting. EG.5, an Omicron subvariant nicknamed Eris, is gaining ground in California and is estimated to account for 12% of cases. California health officials say XBB.1.5, nicknamed Kraken, still dominates. Experts are also predicting an early and harsh flu season.
That overlap is what worries Bronstein. He said we very well may have another tripledemic, with COVID, flu and RSV all circulating together, and that it is what he and his colleagues are bracing for. In his words, there is no reason to think flu will not circulate at the same time as COVID and RSV.
A new round of vaccines is the main tool on the horizon. CDC officials expect to roll out an updated COVID vaccine in September or early October, and updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are expected to become available later this fall. Bronstein said there has not been a new COVID vaccine for a while, and that this one is updated to cover the strains known to be circulating now. He strongly advises everyone who is eligible to get it. Early trial data shows the new vaccines are effective against the fast-spreading Eris subvariant.
Until those shots arrive, the numbers to watch are the county's weekly outbreak counts and hospitalizations, along with how quickly flu and RSV begin to appear alongside COVID.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We very well may have another tripledemic. I think that's what we're bracing ourselves for right now.— Dr. David Bronstein, Kaiser Permanente Antelope Valley
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