LA Sees 34% Spike In COVID Cases, Driving Push For Booster Shots

LOS ANGELES, CA — California's coronavirus cases are up over the last two weeks, prompting health officials to urge more seniors, high-risk workers and people with underlying medical conditions to get their booster shot.

On Tuesday, Pfizer petitioned regulators to approve coronavirus booster shots for all adults amid evidence that the vaccine's efficacy wanes over time.

In Los Angeles County new cases are inching back up after weeks of decline — spiking 34 percent over two weeks, according to the New York Times tracker. Though the county is, so far, fairing better than the Inland Empire and San Diego, authorities worry that spiking case rates in some parts of the state portend a tough pandemic winter. Los Angeles this month implemented some of the strictest vaccine mandates in the nation, prompting optimism that the region won't experience a repeat of last winter. Toward that end, health inspectors are working to nudge businesses to enforce mask and vaccine mandates.

Los Angeles County health inspectors continue to find high levels of compliance by bars and nightclubs with COVID-19 vaccination- verification requirements, but some other businesses are still falling short in enforcing mask-wearing requirements, officials said Tuesday.

According to the county Department of Public Health, inspectors who fanned out across the county between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5 found 93% of bars, 94% of nightclubs and 100% of lounges in compliance with rules requiring them to verify COVID-19 vaccinations for patrons and employees.

As of Nov. 4, indoor bars, nightclubs, lounges, breweries and distilleries are required to verify that all workers and customers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The rule previously required verification of only one dose of vaccine.

During that same period, inspectors found lapses in enforcement of the indoor mask-wearing requirement, with only 68% of garment manufacturers, 67% of office sites, 80% of nightclubs, 82% of lounges and 85% of bars in compliance.

"I am grateful the majority of businesses are protecting their employees and customers by following masking and vaccination verification requirements," county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. "These high rates of compliance are a testament to collaborations among business operators, employees and customers to follow common sense safety precautions. The more people who are masking up and are vaccinated, the less likely an activity will result in viral transmission and the more likely we will save lives and move forward on our recovery journey."

The county on Tuesday reported another 11 COVID-19 deaths, raising the overall death toll to 26,762.

Another 1,174 cases were confirmed, giving the county a pandemic total of 1,504,843.

The county's rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1.3% as of Tuesday.

According to state figures, there were 620 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, down from 630 on Monday, marking the fourth straight day of slight declines. Of the people hospitalized, 162 were in intensive care, down from 170 on Monday.

About 80% of eligible county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 72% fully vaccinated. Among all 10.3 million residents in the county, including those not eligible for shots, 69% have received one dose, and 62% are fully vaccinated.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.