More than 200 employees in the Long Beach Police and Fire departments are isolating or quarantining from COVID-19 this week, but officials said there has so far been no impact to safety response times.
The city on Dec. 30 reported 1,380 new cases, the highest single day number since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago.
The city has also postponed the 34th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade and Celebration, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 15, as well as the 2022 Homeless count, scheduled for Jan. 25.
On Jan. 4, the city administered 6,965 tests, up from 347 tests on Dec. 14.
Dr. Graham Tse, who heads the COVID-19 response at Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children and Women’s Hospital, said the hospitals are bracing for a possible surge.
Long Beach on Dec. 31 reported 1,809 new cases in one of the highest two-day jumps since the start of the pandemic.
An official said the spill, estimated to at 8.5 million gallons, is the largest since the agency began tracking such incidents in 1981.
Long Beach’s average daily number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,234% this month for the steepest rise since the beginning of the pandemic.
The winter storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to Los Angeles County coastal and valley areas.
Long Beach reported seven COVID-19 related deaths and 449 new cases, for one of the highest increases since the winter surge at the beginning of this year.
