California's Health Secretary Mark Ghaly "sounding a bell" Friday to focus attention on trends showing that declines in COVID-19 drop have slowed and in some areas, including Los Angeles, spread is again on the rise.
In the past week, 23 states reported an increase in the number of COVID cases.
Across the US, the total number of positive case tests now exceeds 7 million, the highest of any nation.
New cases in L.A. County remain around 1,000 a day. California projects the number of COVID hospitalizations will nearly double in the coming month.
At an online briefing Friday afternoon, California’s Health Secretary shared a case rate and hospitalization chart.
“Look at the far right, the downward trends of the past month have turned upward,” he said. "As we see these trend lines, which have been coming down, and then flattening -- now looking like they may be coming up, and not just over one or two days, but over the course of a handful of days. We want to sound that bell for all of you."
Projecting the number of COVID hospitalizations nearly to double in the coming month, Dr. Ghaly also urged Californians to get their flu shots to minimize the impact of a possible "twindemic."
