County reports 10 deaths, nearly 3K new virus cases

Nearly 3,000 more coronavirus infections were reported by Los Angeles County on Tuesday, along with 10 new COVID-19 deaths.

The 2,945 new infections is likely an undercount due to delays in reporting from the weekend. The number is also artificially low due to the prevalence of take-home coronavirus tests, the results of which are not always reported to the county.

Officially, the new cases lifted the county's cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 3,143,536. The 10 new fatalities raised the county's death toll to 32,371.

The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus continued to rise, reaching 14.9%.

Updated coronavirus hospitalization numbers were not immediately available due to a reporting delay from the state. As of Saturday 810 coronavirus patients were in county hospitals, with 91 being treated in intensive care units.

County health officials again urged parents to get their children vaccinated against the virus, insisting that while kids tend to experience milder infections, they can still be dangerous or lead to longer-term health issues.

The county to date has confirmed 312 cases of the COVID-19-related Multi-Symptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C. According to the county Department of Public Health, two children under age 5 in the county have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic, along with three age 5 to 11 and six between 12 and 17 years old.

Health officials said outbreaks are being reported at summer camps, youth programs and day care sites.

County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer last week noted an uptick in infections related to workplaces and urged employers to implement infection-control measures in indoor spaces, such as masking and maintaining physical distancing in communal areas. She said one sector in particular — the TV and film industry — has already reimposed an indoor mask mandate now that the county's hospitalization rate

has reached more than 8 per 100,000 residents.

She said that given the continued high level of virus

transmission in the county — particularly with more rapid spread of the highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 variants — people should already be masking up indoors.

The city of Malibu announced Tuesday that masks are again being required inside Malibu City Hall due to surging cases among city staff. The building remains open, but residents are being urged to take advantage of virtual appointments and services.