Coronavirus transmission is up across the board in Los Angeles County, a troubling trend officials say illustrates the new normal of the still-potent pandemic — one in which the virus continues to spread easily among residents who have yet to be inoculated.

“Right now, people have the lowest levels of protection from this virus in the communities where transmission is the highest. But among all of our communities, transmission is going up,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters Thursday.

Over the last week, the county has reported an average of 521 new coronavirus cases a day, a number that, though still significantly smaller than what was seen during the pandemic’s previous waves, nevertheless represents a tripling of the figure from two weeks ago, according to data compiled by The Times.

The county’s positivity rate — the proportion of conducted tests that confirm coronavirus infection — has also shot up, from 1.2% last week to 2.5% as of Thursday.

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