COVID-19 cases continue to push up hospitalizations in Long Beach

Long Beach, California – The rise in COVID-19 cases continued to push up hospitalizations on Monday, with state numbers showing that the number of virus-positive patients in Los Angeles County medical centers had surpassed 2,000, the highest level since last winter.

As of Monday, the state reported 1,994 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals, up more than 200 from the previous day and the largest number since February. There were 278 patients in intensive care on Monday, up from 263 on Sunday.

COVID-19 cases have increased in Long Beach and throughout the county, due to the highly infectious omicron variant.

Long Beach recorded 1,809 new cases on Dec. 31, one of the greatest two-day spikes since the pandemic began.

Los Angeles County has recorded an increase in hospitalizations and Long Beach is not an exemption either. On Dec. 31, the city recorded 178 people hospitalized in local medical centers with COVID-19, up from 52 just two weeks earlier.

Following a daily high of 27,091 new infections on Friday, the county recorded nearly 45,000 new cases over the weekend.

With hospitalizations on the rise, county health authorities advised residents to attend emergency rooms only if they were in urgent need.