The transmission rate decreased significantly in L.A., a figure that expresses how many people can be infected from a sick person
A family walks around enjoying the reopening of the beaches in Los Angeles.
Photo:
ETIENNE LAURENT / EFE
Los Angeles County has reached a new milestone in its fight to control the spread of the new coronavirus.
The transmission rate in the nation's most populous county, home to 56% of COVID-19 deaths in California, it is now in its best position since the magnitude of the pandemic became apparent in March, reports the Los Angeles Times.
At the beginning of the arrival of the disease in Los Angeles, the coronavirus transmission rate was high: on average, each of the infected people went on to infect more than three people.
Scientists call this transmission rate the effective transmission number, or "R".
But already in late March, after the stay-at-home order went into effect, the effective transmission number dropped to 1, which means that, on average, each person with COVID-19 infected another person. That rate, if maintained, it means that the number of infected people remains constant.
"If" R "stays below 1, the epidemic in Los Angeles County is expected to decrease over time," said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for L.A. County.
However, authorities caution that Los Angeles County may still run out of intensive care beds if disease transmission rates increase significantly.
If more people start to get infected as society reopens, officials won't know until two to four weeks later, the time it takes for those people to become so ill that they need medical attention.
