The number of COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles County hospitals plunged once again Sunday, Feb. 13, down by 125 people from the previous day — continuing a trend that has seen hospitalizations decline by more than half in about a month.

There were 2,086 people in LA County hospitals with COVID-19, according to the latest state figures released Sunday. Of those, 439 were in intensive care, down from 461 on Saturday.

Hospitalizations had climbed to more than 4,800 in mid-January at the height of the omicron-fueled winter surge.

The decline is particularly notable for folks hoping to see coronavirus-related regulations relaxed further.

If the hospitalization number stays below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, the county will consider itself to be entering a “post-surge” phase, under guidelines Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced earlier this month, and will lift its mask mandate for outdoor “mega-events” and outdoors at schools and childcare centers.

The state data reported on Sunday, but through Saturday, marked the third day of sub-2,500 hospitalizations.

Ferrer said last week that absent a sudden increase in hospitalizations, the outdoor mask mandate could be lifted as early as Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Of course, Sunday also marked a day in which untold numbers of LA County residents will gather in houses, bars, restaurants and SoFi Stadium because of Super Bowl LVI, between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.

That’s why public health officials have repeatedly stressed taking precautions, including:

• Getting a COVID test as close to the start of the game as possible and after the game if you had possible exposures.
• Keeping gatherings small and outdoors, or if that’s not an option, improving indoor air flow.
• Keeping your hands clean and keeping your distance while eating.
• Wearing a well-fitted high-quality mask.

“Please remember the sensible public health measures that protect us all,” Ferrer said in a Saturday statement. “L.A. County believes in taking care of each other, and I know we can take care of one another and enjoy the game at the same time. Please be safe, have the best time ever, and go Rams!”

The county reported 4,889 new positive COVID-19 tests on Sunday and another 58 virus-related deaths.

Those numbers — which officials said likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend — brought the county’s totals to 2,761,870 cases and 29,902 deaths since the pandemic began.

More than 11.2 million individuals have been tested, with 22% of those people testing positive, the health department said.

Transmission rates are key, since even though the county’s outdoor masking requirements could be lifted this week, the indoor masking mandate will remain in place until much stricter criteria are met.

That’s in spite of the state planning to lift its indoor mask requirement for vaccinated people later this week.

The county’s indoor mask rule will not be lifted until the county’s virus-transmission rate falls to the “moderate” level as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two straight weeks, or until COVID-19 vaccines have been available to children under 5 years old for eight weeks, Ferrer said.

Reaching the CDC’s “moderate” designation requires the county to have a cumulative, seven-day new case rate of less than 50 per 100,000 residents.

The county’s rate was 518 per 100,000 as of Friday, according to the CDC’s website. That’s down from 622 per 100,000 residents on Thursday.

Keepping hospitalizations down, meanwhile, may depend on the county’s vaccination and booster rates continuing to climb.

Ferrer on Friday again urged vaccinated residents to obtain booster shots, noting that the effectiveness of vaccines wanes over time, and saying the additional dose is the best defense against a trip to a hospital because of the virus.

“Given the evidence of waning protection over time from the COVID vaccines, eligible residents and workers should get boosted as soon as possible,” she said in a statement. “As we think about the ‘post-surge’ strategies, increasing the number of people optimally protected from COVID infection helps us decrease the number of people who become seriously ill and die from COVID.

“Appropriate actions that allow us to live with this virus without major disruptions,” she added, “will need to include strategies that reduce the impact of the virus on those most vulnerable.”

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