Health officials believe the actual number of infections in LA County is likely higher due to underreporting.
One day after sliding into the"high'' COVID-19 community activity level, Los Angeles County reported nearly 9,000 new infections today, with the true number of new cases likely much higher but unreported due to the prevalence of take home tests.
According to state figures, there were 1,223 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals, up from 1,202 on Thursday. Of those patients, 120 were being treated in intensive care, down from 122 a day earlier. "The reality is that because we are living with a mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus, there remains uncertainty around the trajectory of the pandemic,'' county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Friday.
Masks are already still mandated in some indoor spaces -- health care facilities, transit hubs, on transit vehicles, airports, correctional facilities and shelters. A universal mandate would spread the requirement to all indoor public spaces, including shared office spaces, manufacturing facilities, retail stores, indoor events, indoor restaurants and bars and schools.