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The number of patients in intensive care also decreased, from 433 to 412.
The latest figures came when county health officials reported 11 additional deaths associated with the virus and 1,540 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s total to 1,420,560 cases and 25,456 fatalities since the pandemic began.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Monday’s numbers and deaths are likely to reflect delays reported over the weekend.
Meanwhile, officials have also confirmed the presence of what is known as the mu variant of the virus, which is described as highly contagious and potentially capable of evading vaccines.
MORE | Is the mu variant worse than delta? What you need to know about COVID mutations
The county health department has detected 167 cases of the Mu variant, all between June 19 and August 21, with the majority found in July.
The Mu variant, officially labeled as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, was first discovered in Colombia in January and has since been detected in 39 countries.
Some initial reviews of the variant have indicated that it has the potential to evade currently available vaccines. But in a statement Friday, county health officials said more studies are needed to determine whether the Mu variant is more contagious, more lethal or more resistant to the vaccine and treatments than other COVID-19 strains. “
The delta variant remains the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating in the county, and public health director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday that it represents almost all cases that undergo the necessary sequencing to identify specific viral mutations. Delta is labeled a “variant of concern” by the WHO.
“Identifying variants like mu and spreading variants around the world highlights the need for Los Angeles County residents to continue to take steps to protect themselves and others,” Ferrer said.
“This is what makes vaccination and layer protection so important. These are actions that break the transmission chain and limit the proliferation of COVID-19 that allows the virus to mutate into something that could be more dangerous.”
Ferrer noted Thursday that the county has begun to see declining rates of new infections. According to Ferrer, the cumulative rate of new seven-day cases in the county was 159 per 100,000 residents last week, a 16% drop from the previous week and 22% below the peak of 204 per 100,000 residents in the county. mid-August.
The positive virus population rate in the county rose Friday to 3.3%, from 2.97% the day before.
Among eligible county residents 12 years of age and older, 75% have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 65% are fully vaccinated.
Ferrer reaffirmed the effectiveness of vaccines, which of about 5.3 million residents who were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, 37,614 have tested positive for the virus, with a rate of 0.71%, while 1,049 have been hospitalized, a rate of 0.02%. . Of those fully vaccinated, 118 have died, with a rate of 0.0022%.
According to the county health department, approximately 90% of local deaths associated with COVID-19 occurred in people with an underlying health status. The most common conditions were hypertension (present in 55% of fatalities), diabetes (43%) and heart disease (29%).
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