L.A. County

31,372. The new cases gave the county a cumulative total of 2,815,379.

The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 0.7% as of Wednesday, holding steady over the past week.

According to state figures, a total of 499 coronavirus patients were in county hospitals as of Wednesday, down from the 501 reported on Tuesday. Of those patients, 90 were being treated in intensive care units, down one from the previous day.

Recent declines in caseloads and hospitalizations spurred county public health officials to lift most mask mandates, including allowing individual school districts to make maskwearing in classrooms optional.

Negotiations between the Los Angeles Unified School District and local teachers union over lifting the district's indoor masking mandate were expected to resume Wednesday. But as of the afternoon, there was still no announcement that an agreement had been reached.

County health officials again said they are working to increase the number of providers who can offer residents access to antiCOVID-19 therapeutics.

According to the Department of Public Health, the oral medications Paxlovid and Molnupiravir are prescription drugs that must be taken within five days of COVID-19 symptoms developing. Paxlovid is available for anyone age 12 and older who weighs more than 88 pounds. Molnupiravir is available for anyone 18 and over.

A third medication, Evulsheld, is given through an injection and is available for people 12 and over who have not been exposed to the virus and are unable to get a COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons.

“Public Health thanks our partners that are working to provide access to therapeutics for those high-risk individuals who are most vulnerable to becoming very ill,” Ferrer said.