Recent declines in case numbers and coronavirus-positive hospitalizations could pull the county back from the brink of such a mandate, news accounts reported. “We may be positioned to pause the implementation of universal masking,” Barbara Ferrer, the county’s health director, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. With signs that COVID-19 may be slowing down in Los Angeles County, health officials are now reconsidering what had appeared to be a march toward a new universal indoor mask mandate. Los Angeles may be able to avoid new mask mandate this week Nearly 44 people die of COVID-19 daily in California, with the Bay Area reporting seven new daily deaths. There were 4,826 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state Tuesday - up from 4,377 two weeks ago - with 907 in Bay Area hospitals. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator of pandemic trends, are rising. California's average coronavirus test positive rate, which reflects the proportion of tests coming back positive, fell to 15% after peaking at 16.3% on July 15. The Bay Area is also showing improvement, with 38 cases per 100,000 as of Tuesday, a 21% decrease since July 12. The state reported an average of 43 new daily cases per 100,000 residents on Tuesday, down from 49 per 100,000 two weeks ago. Latest updates: Some COVID-19 trends improving in California, but hospitalizations and deaths risingĬalifornia's BA.5 surge may have peaked, with new cases trending down, according to state data analyzed by The Chronicle.