In light of a recent upswing in coronavirus metrics, Los Angeles County has reintroduced a mask-wearing requirement for staff and visitors at all licensed health care facilities, according to officials on Saturday. As the county entered the "medium" level of COVID-19 hospital admissions, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health deemed it necessary to enforce stricter measures to curb transmission and protect against severe illness.

Over the past week, Los Angeles County has witnessed notable increases in reported COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, as stated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. While these increases are significant, they remain below the peak experienced last winter. Nevertheless, the department strongly recommends implementing common-sense protections to combat the spread of the virus as the new year begins.

The criteria for reaching the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) medium level is between 10 and 19.9 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 population over a period of seven days. According to the CDC, Los Angeles County reported 10.5 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people for the week ending on December 23.

In accordance with the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order issued on December 27, 2023, all healthcare personnel in licensed health care facilities that provide inpatient care must wear masks while in contact with patients or working in patient-care areas. This requirement applies to all healthcare personnel, regardless of their COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status. Additionally, all individuals visiting a licensed health care facility providing inpatient care are obliged to wear masks when in the vicinity of patients or in patient-care areas. These measures will remain in effect until the COVID-19 hospital admission level in Los Angeles County falls below the CDC's medium level for at least 14 consecutive days.

As of December 23, state data revealed that there were 609 COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals, signifying an increase from 259 on November 1. However, this current number remains lower than the previous year when over 1,200 patients were hospitalized. It is noteworthy that some patients were admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID-19 and were subsequently discovered to be positive after undergoing tests at the hospitals.

The health department reported that the daily average of COVID-19 cases in the county has surged by over 25% in the past week, escalating from 495 to 621. However, officials highlighted that this number is an undercount due to the large volume of home test results for COVID-19 that are not reported.

Furthermore, the department observed an increase in the daily average of five COVID-related deaths, which escalated from two earlier this month on December 6. Health officials have stressed that individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension, are at a higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Last week, health officials suggested that the rise in local transmission could be attributed, at least in part, to new COVID-19 strains gaining dominance in Los Angeles County, including JN.1, a newly emerging strain descended from BA.2.86, an Omicron lineage. However, officials reassured the public that JN.1 does not appear to be causing more severe cases of COVID-19.

As the holiday season unfolds and respiratory viruses continue to circulate, health experts advise the following common-sense precautions to protect against COVID-19 and other illnesses: [additional information and precautions may be added based on user request or relevance to the article].

Los Angeles County remains committed to managing the ongoing COVID-19 situation by implementing necessary measures to safeguard public health and mitigate the risk of further transmission.