L.A. County's Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer held a media briefing Thursday afternoon, her first in several months, and offered a lot of nuances and some good news. But as far as policies go - there's no news.
Ferrer showed how overall case numbers have doubled in the past month, but the numbers overall are lower than various parts of the pandemic. A more reliable data point for the severity of the virus? Hospitalizations, which have also increased, but like overall case counts, also remain low. He said he isn't seeing the kind of respiratory failures many hospitals saw in patients early on in the pandemic but rather flu-like symptoms that include coughing, body aches and nasal congestion. Hospitals have increasingly started recommending masks, both for patients and staff.