Concern Grows As Infectious COVID-19 Variants Spread Across LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — County health officials sounded the alarm Wednesday about two COVID-19 virus variants that are now dominant in Los Angeles County.

Together, coronavirus variants first detected in California and the United Kingdom made up 63 percent of the specimens tested in Los Angeles County over the last week, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. Both variants are more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus, and at least one report indicates that the California variant may be more resistant to antibodies.

Dubbed the "variants of concern," 34 percent of specimens came back positive for the California variant and 29 percent for the variant first found in the United Kingdom. Though they are believed to be at least 50 percent more contagious, new cases continue to drop in Los Angeles County. The falling caseload means the county could see restrictions further loosened by early April.

But the spread of highly infectious variants of the virus heightens the need for continued mask-wearing and infection-control measures, said Ferrer.

"I think it's probably very safe to say there are more variants circulating now than there were earlier in the year," she said. "That is what everybody's worried about. If we keep our case numbers down, we keep transmission of variants down as well, and that would in fact help us not have variants ... circulating that are more infectious and could lead to higher rates of case numbers."

Ferrer said Wednesday that of 73 COVID-19 test specimens that were closely examined over the past week, more than half were identified as "variants of concern" — 34 percent of them being a California variant and 29 percent a variant first found in the United Kingdom.

"This signifies that 63 percent of the variant sequences this past week are what we call 'variants of concern' because they have the probability of increased transmissibility and potentially more severe disease," she said.

Ferrer stressed that the specimens tested in the past week were not chosen in a "scientifically, randomly selected sample," so "we have to interpret really carefully the results."

Concern has been growing about the variants, which have sparked new rounds of outbreaks and shutdowns in other countries.

USC Student Health officials on Wednesday sent an email to students notifying them about "a cluster of several dozen positive cases of COVID-19 in the USC community that can be traced back to recent international travel into California, including multiple cases confirmed to be variants."

University health officials urged students who may have traveled for spring break to adhere to a required 10-day quarantine upon their return and to get tested for the COVID-19 virus within three to five days.

But barring any major new surge in COVID-19 case numbers, the county is on track to enter the less-restrictive orange tier by the first week in April, likely in the days following Easter Sunday. Once that happens, it will be up to the county to decide whether to fully adhere to the state's orange-tier guidelines for businesses that would be allowed to open or expand capacity.

Moving to the orange tier would authorize the county to lift all capacity restrictions at retail and personal care businesses, while raising the capacity limit from 25 percent to 50 percent for movie theaters, churches, museums, zoos, aquariums and restaurants. Fitness center capacity could be increased from 10 percent to 25 percent. The orange tier also would allow for bars to reopen outdoors, while card rooms and family entertainment centers could be cleared to resume indoor operations.

Counties, however, are permitted to enact tougher restrictions than the state allows, or to modify the guidelines. For example, the county still bars restaurants and breweries from turning on their television sets to prevent gatherings of sports fans — a rule that is only in place in Los Angeles County.

"We also know we have unique circumstances here in L.A. County, and when we need to we've made modifications to the reopening guidelines to reflect concerns we have," she said.

Ferrer said health officials will work with the county Board of Supervisors and representatives from business sectors affected by the move to the orange tier, and will "assess what makes sense for L.A. County."

"We are committed, along with everyone, to move forward," she said. "And we are excited about this opportunity to stay on our recovery journey. And we know this means a lot to everyone. But we have to do it in a way that doesn't jeopardize safety."

Most notably in the orange tier is a possible reopening of bars, with outdoor service only. Ferrer said the county will explore ways of reopening such businesses and "what kind of modifications might really enhance safety as much as possible."

Breweries and wineries that don't serve food were cleared last weekend to reopen for alcohol service, but with limited hours, required advance reservations for customers and a 90-minute time limit for guests. Ferrer said that list of restrictions, while easily applicable to a brewery or winery, "probably doesn't make a lot of sense when you think about how people generally enjoy being at a bar."

"That is always going to be a concern because, again, these are places where people cannot be wearing their masks and not keeping their distance for long periods of time," she said. "So we'll have to take a hard look at that."

Ferrer on Wednesday announced another 92 COVID-19 deaths, including the county's third COVID-19 death of a person under age 18. The new deaths brought the overall countywide total to 22,960.

Ferrer also announced another 666 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 1,215,736.

According to state figures, 729 people were hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19 as of Wednesday, up from 719 on Tuesday. There were 169 people in intensive care, down from 180 on Tuesday.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.