COVID Cases Down 41 Percent In Skilled Nursing Facilities

LOS ANGELES, CA — The county reached a promising milestone this week with a massive drop in positive COVID-19 cases at skilled nursing facilities, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Compared to last week, LA County skilled nursing facilities saw a 41 percent drop in positive cases among residents and a 32 percent drop among staff. This is partially due to rising vaccination rates; 75 percent of residents and 69 percent of staff were fully vaccinated and boosted as of Friday, according to the Department of Public Health.

"Protecting residents at nursing homes remains a high priority during this post-surge time," Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a news release. She added: "While we welcome the declines in transmission and hospitalizations, those most vulnerable because they are older, immunocompromised, living with serious health conditions, or unvaccinated, still need the additional protections offered by the array of tools and strategies available to reduce risk."

There was also a 46 percent drop in positive cases among other county healthcare workers this week.

Los Angeles County continues to see signs of recovery following its recent omicron-fueled surge. The county on Friday logged 2,406 new cases of COVID-19 — at the peak of the surge, this number was consistently over 40,000. Hospitalization rates are also declining, but the county's death rate remains high with 68 new COVID-19 deaths logged on Friday.

Starting Friday, fully vaccinated Angelenos could drop their masks at businesses and other locations.

Despite this bold move, the Center for Disease Control still considers Los Angeles County to be a "high" risk area, meaning people are still advised to wear masks indoors. Many neighboring counties, like Orange County, Riverside County and Ventura County, are considered to be at "medium" risk, meaning indoor masking is recommended only for high-risk individuals.