COVID-19 deaths climb in Los Angeles area

COVID-19 deaths climb in Los Angeles area Los Angeles County has reported an uptick in COVID-19 deaths, with daily fatalities resulting from the virus doubling in just one week. Monique Beals TheHill

On Thursday, the county reported 102 COVID-19 deaths, marking the most fatalities it has seen in a day since March 10, 2021, according to the county’s public health department. 

The department said most of those fatalities are likely the result of the highly transmissible omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa last November and has since spread around the world. 

Ninety percent of those fatal infections came after Dec. 24, a timeline suggesting that the omicron variant was the cause of the spike in those cases, the department reported. ...

Early studies have indicated that the omicron variant tends to be more mild than other COVID-19 strains and less likely to cause hospitalizations.

But for the people for whom the variant does become deadly, their condition tends to worsen more quickly than those infected with previous variants, Ferrer said, according to The Los Angeles Times.  ...