In California, the spread of COVID-19 is being fueled by individuals who continue to go to work or travel while sick, posing a risk to others. According to doctors, it is vital for sick individuals to avoid potential virus transmission. Furthermore, the rate of positive COVID test results in the state is also increasing.

For the week ending on July 15, data reveals that 12.8% of COVID tests returned positive results. This marks a significant rise from the 5.9% recorded a month earlier and is approaching last year's summer peak of 13.1%, which occurred in late August and early September.

Recent data suggests that COVID levels in Los Angeles County wastewater are also on the rise. The 10-day period ending on July 6 witnessed COVID levels at 36% of the peak seen during the winter season, up from 27% for the previous 10-day period ending on June 29.

Newly confirmed COVID cases are rising at a faster pace as well. In the week ending on July 14, an average of 359 new cases were reported daily in Los Angeles County, representing an increase from the 307 cases per day the previous week. Comparatively, a month earlier, the average was 154 cases per day.

While these official COVID-19 case figures are likely an underestimation, as they do not include at-home tests or account for reduced testing among individuals feeling unwell, they still provide helpful insight into the trajectory of the current wave.

COVID hospitalizations are also experiencing an upward trend, although they remain below last summer's peak levels. During the week ending on July 13, Los Angeles County hospitals reported an average of 287 COVID-positive patients daily, which is an increase from the 139 patients per day recorded a month earlier. The highest number of COVID-positive patients in hospitals last summer occurred during the week ending on September 9, where the daily average reached 620 cases.

Emergency room visits related to COVID have also risen steadily. In the week ending on July 14, L.A. County reported that 2.8% of all emergency room visits were COVID-related, an increase from 1.8% recorded a month earlier. However, this is still below last summer's peak of 5.1%.

The presence of COVID in sewage is also a cause for concern in Santa Clara County, the region encompassing Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area. The latest data indicates that coronavirus levels in all sewersheds, including San José, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and Gilroy, were classified as "high."

Therefore, doctors emphasize the importance of getting tested if experiencing COVID symptoms such as fever, aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomachache. Timely testing can assist in curbing the spread of the virus and safeguarding public health.