Los Angeles County reported another surge in coronavirus cases Friday, prompting health officials to urge residents to curtail large New Year’s celebrations.

The county recorded more than 27,000 new cases on the final day of 2021, more than during the last two days combined. Roughly 1 out of 4 people who are being tested are positive for a COVID-19 infection, officials say.

The numbers underscore how the highly transmissible Omicron variant is spreading throughout Southern California with unprecedented speed.

California’s reported average daily coronavirus caseload has more than quadrupled in the last two weeks — pushing infection levels significantly higher than at any point during the summer surge.

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