As Winter Viruses Increase, New Data Dashboards Allow Residents to Monitor Transmission Trends in Los Angeles County

In Los Angeles County, respiratory virus metrics have increased across the board this past week indicating a steady rise in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and influenza (flu) activity. The increases are relatively small and indicator numbers remain well below levels seen last year at this time; however, they clearly represent what appears to be the beginning of the winter virus season.

This week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) launched the Respwatch Surveillance Dashboard. This dashboard is updated weekly on Fridays and shares information on flu, COVID-19 and RSV, and allows residents to track information in one convenient location. The dashboard includes information on clinical laboratory surveillance, emergency department visits and wastewater concentrations in comparison to previous seasons.

To be able to compare all three viruses, testing data on this new dashboard uses tests from clinical laboratories that participate in Public Health’s Sentinel Surveillance Network. For this reason, the COVID-19 positivity data on this new dashboard is different from test positivity reported in COVID-only dashboards, which reflects tests conducted across the county.

Using data from Sentinel Surveillance labs for the weeks ending Nov. 18 and Nov. 25, RSV increased from 13.4 percent to 15.1 percent, COVID-19 increased from 7.4 percent to 8.9 percent and flu increased from 6.7 percent to 7.9 percent. For all three viruses, that same week showed increases in the concentration found in wastewater, and for flu and RSV, increases have been steady over the past five weeks. However, wastewater concentrations are still below what they were during the same time last year.

COVID-19 causes more hospitalizations and deaths compared to RSV and flu, can lead to prolonged illness, and the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve. For these reasons, Public Health continues to track additional COVID-19 metrics on their own. As of Nov. 30, the LA County COVID-19 Data dashboard has been updated. This new dashboard combines information previously on three separate website locations into one and presents all key COVID-19 surveillance metrics in one place.

During this winter virus season, vaccination is the best defense against severe illness and hospitalization and is especially important for people who are older or have underlying health conditions. The updated COVID-19 vaccine is available across Los Angeles County and there is no out-of-pocket cost regardless of insurance or immigration status. The COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the flu vaccine, is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. In Los Angeles County, 860,000 doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. The new vaccine is recommended regardless of previous vaccination status, meaning those with and without previous COVID-19 vaccines should still get the updated 2023-2024 dose.

People who are 60 and older should speak with their provider about an RSV vaccine. RSV vaccination is also recommended for people who are between 32-36 weeks pregnant and immunizations are available for infants under 8 months old.

COVID-19 home tests remain an important tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19 this winter. In addition to free tests distributed locally at libraries, schools and through community organizations, as of Nov. 20, the federal government is allocating each household an additional four free COVID home tests. Information on where to find tests, including a link to order free tests by mail, is available at ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDtests.

Testing is strongly recommended for people who have been exposed to COVID-19, people who have possible symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough or sore throat, and for those who are attending gatherings or visiting with people who may be more vulnerable to a severe COVID-19 infection, especially people who are over 65 years old.

To avoid spreading another respiratory infection, like flu or RSV, individuals with respiratory symptoms who test negative for COVID-19 should mask indoors while around others. It is most accurate to take a second COVID-19 test 48 hours after the first test if respiratory symptoms persist.

When a person tests negative for COVID-19, yet still has symptoms of a respiratory virus, they may have a flu or RSV infection and should stay home to prevent the spread of illness. For a flu infection, a health care provider can prescribe antivirals, if appropriate, which can reduce the severity and duration of illness.

Adults and children 12 years and older who test or are suspected positive for COVID-19 and who have underlying health conditions or factors that may result in more severe illness from COVID-19 are eligible to take Paxlovid, which must be started within five days of symptom onset. Public Health encourages everyone to speak with their provider about Paxlovid if they test positive.

Paxlovid, the antiviral medication to treat COVID-19, is widely available in Los Angeles County at no cost. Currently there is ample supply of Paxlovid courses, provided through the U.S. government, available at Los Angeles County pharmacies, Public Health Centers and through Public Health telehealth services, provided free to residents through the Public Health Call Center at 1-833-540-0473, open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Public Health Call Center can also answer questions about respiratory symptoms, how to find a Public Health Center, where to get vaccinated or how to get tested and help to schedule vaccination appointments, including in-home vaccinations for people who are homebound.

In Los Angeles County, based on data through Nov. 25, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospital Admission Level is Low at 4.8 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks.

Metric	Date of Weekly Report
Metric	12/06/2023	11/29/2023	11/22/2023	11/15/2023
Daily average cases	380	249	275	250
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value	28%	24%	13%	12%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	3.7%	3.3%	3.6%	3.0%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	457	404	362	304
Daily average deaths	1.9	1.6	2.7	3.4
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	2.8%	1.6%	1.3%	0.9%
All daily averages are 7-day averages. Data for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED data = week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag. Case data is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death data is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death data were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases do not include Long Beach and Pasadena. Daily average deaths include Long Beach and Pasadena for all weeks except 11/29. Long Beach and Pasadena are not included in the daily average death count for 11/29 because data was not available from CDPH due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

• A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/COVIDdataincluding:

• COVID-19 Response Plan

• COVID-19 Vaccinations

• Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

• California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Spanish:

https://espanol.cdc.gov/enes/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Cases through 12:00pm 12/04/2023
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,828,739
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	37,007
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	116,410
- 5 to 11	285,133
- 12 to 17	280,052
- 18 to 29	769,722
- 30 to 49	1,156,457
- 50 to 64	632,110
- 65 to 79	279,771
- over 80	101,466
- Under Investigation	2,625
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,874,204
- Male	1,658,003
- Other	1,903
- Under Investigation	89,636
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,886
- Asian	271,592
- Black	193,213
- Hispanic/Latino	1,539,544
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	18,106
- White	507,395
- Other	418,966
- Under Investigation	668,044
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	189,595
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	83
- Asian	4,615
- Black	3,293
- Hispanic/Latino	17,022
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	114
- White	9,395
- Other	477
- Under Investigation	108
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6506	31155
City of Alhambra	26249	30267
City of Arcadia	14139	24481
City of Artesia	6210	36975
City of Avalon	298	7702
City of Azusa	17843	35657
City of Baldwin Park	30283	39447
City of Bell	17241	47454
City of Bell Gardens	17408	40417
City of Bellflower	31467	40480
City of Beverly Hills	11912	34508
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33737	31477
City of Calabasas	6076	24980
City of Carson	35953	38311
City of Cerritos	13836	27635
City of Claremont	10664	29229
City of Commerce*	5959	45596
City of Compton	41135	41175
City of Covina	20776	42372
City of Cudahy	12361	50770
City of Culver City	12378	31050
City of Diamond Bar	14050	24428
City of Downey	47656	41707
City of Duarte	7681	34888
City of El Monte	43634	37208
City of El Segundo	4207	25063
City of Gardena	22577	36824
City of Glendale	61803	29930
City of Glendora	15548	29467
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5121	34894
City of Hawthorne	30416	34257
City of Hermosa Beach	4876	24789
City of Hidden Hills	394	20847
City of Huntington Park	26680	44852
City of Industry	1058	242105
City of Inglewood	39780	35023
City of Irwindale	904	61960
City of La Canada Flintridge	4719	22805
City of La Habra Heights	215	3941
City of La Mirada	14634	29505
City of La Puente	16262	39959
City of La Verne	9466	28442
City of Lakewood	27823	34622
City of Lancaster*	65741	40689
City of Lawndale	10864	32320
City of Lomita	6304	30412
City of Lynwood*	31904	44282
City of Malibu	2971	22923
City of Manhattan Beach	7686	21351
City of Maywood	13050	46526
City of Monrovia	12169	31363
City of Montebello	25983	40362
City of Monterey Park	18021	28944
City of Norwalk	43933	40822
City of Palmdale	68258	42938
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2363	17475
City of Paramount	23107	41246
City of Pico Rivera	28622	44524
City of Pomona	66928	42922
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	8146	19056
City of Redondo Beach	16190	23567
City of Rolling Hills	308	15876
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1623	20005
City of Rosemead	15613	28208
City of San Dimas*	11359	32909
City of San Fernando	13017	52889
City of San Gabriel	11942	29160
City of San Marino	2515	18943
City of Santa Clarita	75864	34417
City of Santa Fe Springs	8023	43689
City of Santa Monica	27518	29767
City of Sierra Madre	2519	22923
City of Signal Hill	4202	35619
City of South El Monte	8577	41068
City of South Gate	47890	48790
City of South Pasadena	6524	25041
City of Temple City	11026	30246
City of Torrance	35758	23956
City of Vernon	361	172727
City of Walnut	7767	25439
City of West Covina	40496	37415
City of West Hollywood	11595	31379
City of Westlake Village	459	5490
City of Whittier	31917	36505
Los Angeles	1563366	38653
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3270	39868
Los Angeles - Alsace	4641	37292
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	0	0
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	857	34253
Los Angeles - Arleta	17225	50116
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5201	35463
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10578	33986
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2537	30098
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3428	27369
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4332	32885
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	41118	47325
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8696	28092
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2350	33001
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	25942	39734
Los Angeles - Carthay	4548	31665
Los Angeles - Central	17228	44183
Los Angeles - Century City	3897	30464
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16638	49274
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13344	36006
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2636	28743
Los Angeles - Chinatown	3030	37776
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5442	37394
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	5013	33083
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5515	39880
Los Angeles - Crestview	4085	35934
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8734	29176
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16514	60036
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	14163	35775
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9782	33400
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4590	32197
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17263	41291
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1878	32878
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3642	35808
Los Angeles - Encino	15678	34707
Los Angeles - Exposition	1321	39717
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18545	41287
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1299	36083
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3877	44456
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23218	48937
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11249	35594
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	4308	40022
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	22196	38143
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	10284	47821
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4853	28482
Los Angeles - Harbor City	9697	33357
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	16119	36970
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	662	27480
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	6271	34771
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	18395	48491
Los Angeles - Highland Park	17611	36393
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5609	40440
Los Angeles - Hollywood	22214	32546
Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills	7875	26755
Los Angeles - Hyde Park	12290	43061
Los Angeles - Jefferson Park	3226	39960
Los Angeles - Koreatown	16541	31999
Los Angeles - Lafayette Square	1634	35841
Los Angeles - Lake Balboa	16692	39549
Los Angeles - Lakeview Terrace	6313	48070
Los Angeles - Leimert Park	5938	38976
Los Angeles - Lincoln Heig #####