New coronavirus cases in Long Beach continued rising this week, city health data shows — jumping by more than 600.
The number of new cases per week has been on the rise of late. Last week, the Long Beach health department reported 399 new cases, an increase from the 272 reported the week before.
The city had 628 new cases since last week, as of Thursday, May 12.
Long Beach has confirmed 127,183 cases since the pandemic began, according to city data that was updated on Friday afternoon.
Long Beach’s new daily case right, as of Thursday, was 11.6 per 100,000 residents, up from nine the week before. The seven day case rate spiked to 156.4 per 100,000, as of thursday, the city’s data shows; last week, that number was 115.5 per 100,000.
The city’s positivity rate was 6.8%, up from 5.6% the week before, the data shows.
The rise in cases is similar to Los Angeles County as a whole. The county on Friday reported its highest number of single day cases — 4,025 — since mid-February, and its the seven-day cumulative rate reached 176 per 100,000 residents.
If the county hits 200, it would end up in the moderate-transmission range, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which may require some health regulations to return, including indoor mask requirements.
But despite those potentially worrying signs, hospitalizations and deaths — in both Long Beach and countywide — have not yet followed that trend.
There were eight Long Beach residents in hospitals with COVID-19, as of Thursday, and 12 such patients in area hospitals. Those numbers are both down compated to last week, from nine and 18 respectively.
The city reported two deaths over the last week, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 1,267.
Among the reasons for new hospitalizations and deaths remaining low is the relatively high rate of vaccinations.
Nearly 77% of all eligible residents, as of Thursday had received at least one dose of the vaccine, unchanged from last week; 69.5% were fully inoculated, a one-percentage point increase. And 35.1% had gotten a booster, the data showed; that’s a two-percentage point increase from the week prior.
The vaccine rate has also plateaued for specific age groups.
Among those 5-to-11 years old, 29.3% had received at least one shot and 24.4% were fully vaccinated, as of Thursday, data showed. Those both represented one-percentage point increases from last week That age group was not yet eligible for a third shot.
Those 12-to17 saw the same increase. That age group was partially vaccinated at a rate of 81.4% this week, with 74.7% fully vaccinated. Nearly 18% had received a booster.
Not counting the youngest residents, those 18-34 years old remain the least vaccinated in Long Beach: About 75% in that age group have had at least one shot, as of Thursday, and about two-thirds were fully vaccinated. And 28.4% had received a booster.
Still, Long Beach health officials have routinely urged folks to get vaccinated and, when eligible, boosted to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
“Cases continue to rise, though we are not yet seeing signs of a surge,” Dr. Anissa Davis, Long Beach’s city health officer, said in a statement last week. “If you’re feeling under the weather or have been exposed to the virus, get tested, and get vaccinated and boosted if you have not yet done so.”
One of the city’s vaccine and testing sites, meanwhile, will soon relocate.
The site at the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center, in Houghton Park, will close down after Saturday, May 14, because the park will resume normal operations and programming.
Instead, that vaccine and testing center will move to Ramona Park, 3301 E. 65th St., beginning Monday, May 16.
Folks can get tested there from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. They can get vaccinated from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
The Houghton Park site, which opened in July, has administered more than 8,870 vaccines, the city said in a Friday statement.
Long Beach has multiple other vaccine and testing sites throughout the city.
Folks can check out up-to-date vaccine clinic schedules and set up appointments by visiting longbeach.gov/vaxLB or calling 562-570-4636.
