KPCC COVID-19 Cases Continue to Surge in LA County Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 04 August 2021 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KPCC COVID-19 Cases Continue to Surge in LA County The Emergency Departments at Cedars-Sinai hospitals have seen a significant increase in coronavirus-related visits, mainly from unvaccinated younger people ages 20-40. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. KPCC show "Air Talk," KABC and several other media outlets recently spoke with Sam Torbati, MD, co-chair and medical director of Cedars-Sinai's Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department, about the recent uptick in cases of COVID-19 in L.A. County. Cedars-Sinai has experienced a sevenfold increase in coronavirus-related visits to the Emergency Department and a small increase in hospitalizations, Torbati said. These patients mainly are unvaccinated younger people ages 20-40. "We're hopeful that it stays low," Torbati told "Air Talk" host Larry Mantle. "But if this spike behaves as the previous ones did, then in the next weeks we'll start seeing more patients getting sicker and requiring hospitalization. So we're very concerned." Young people are fueling this uptick "because they're more active and proportionally less-vaccinated," Torbati told KABC reporter Denise Dador. "They're not wearing face masks. They're not protected so they're going to get infected." But these younger patients are not immune to serious COVID-19 complications, Torbati told Mantle. "Over the last year and a half, we saw a lot of younger patients become so symptomatic," he said. "Maybe they didn't die, but they were having trouble breathing for days to weeks, sometimes months." Torbati said vaccination is the key to turning the tide of the pandemic, and that public health should take precedence over politics. Everyone should get vaccinated. "The politization of this disease and these therapies is mind boggling," Torbati told Mantle. Click here to listen to the complete episode of "Air Talk" and here to view the complete story from KABC. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release KPCC COVID-19 Cases Continue to Surge in LA County Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home