Los Angeles County is seeing an increase in new COVID-19 cases as temperatures begin to drop around Southern California.
The number of new cases nearly doubled between Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles County, according to numbers distributed by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The department reported 4,353 new cases on Wednesday, up from 2,370 on Tuesday.
Ten deaths were also reported Wednesday along with a positivity rate of 13.4%, according to the health department.
Officials believe the numbers represent only a fraction of the actual cases in the community because most people do not report home tests and many others don’t get tested at all.
Residents were reminded that getting vaccinated and keeping up to date with boosters are the best ways to combat the virus.
“The thing that we really want to make sure that we do with such high rates of virus circulating in the community is to make sure that we protect ourselves, protect people who may be immunocompromised,” Dr. Anne Rimoin said.
Officials are also seeing a rise in the number of RSV cases, especially in children, and flu infections as we approach the winter months.
Health officials plan to address the issue during a 2 p.m. news conference.