LOS ANGELES — Coronavirus cases have begun to rise in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco counties, likely a result of the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.2, decreased use of masks and waning immunity.
The increases are modest, and it's unclear whether this is a brief hiccup, the beginning of a larger wave of cases or something in between.
"I think that it's possible we might see a modest uptick in the next few weeks due to the fact that we are reducing some of the restrictions, such as indoor mask use," UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Robert Kim-Farley said. "But I do not anticipate that we would see a major surge at this stage, just because so many people are immune, due to natural infection or vaccination."
