Los Angeles archbishop tests positive for COVID-19, experiencing mild symptoms
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez tested positive for COVID-19 after a recent trip, church officials confirmed Friday.
Gomez was experiencing mild symptoms and is fully vaccinated and boosted, according to a statement by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Church officials said he was at home after the recommended isolation period.
“I am grateful to be experiencing mild symptoms and look forward to returning to my in-person ministry soon,” Gomez said in a statement. “I continue to offer my prayers for all those suffering from this virus.”
He encouraged all to continue to pray for those who may be seriously ill.
Masks may not be required in many places but they’re still encouraged, officials say, as new COVID cases continue to climb.
The archbishop’s diagnosis comes as California is being hit with another resurgence of the coronavirus.
Nineteen California counties were moved from the low to medium COVID-19 community level Thursday, including San Diego, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara.
Los Angeles County was already in the medium level before this week.
According to CDC data, 33 of California’s 58 counties are now in the CDC’s medium COVID-19 community level, accounting for 78% of the state’s population.
By contrast, the previous week, there were only 14 counties in the medium COVID-19 community level, accounting for less than half of the state’s population.
Overall, coronavirus cases still are on the rise in L.A. County. During the weeklong period that ended Thursday, the county reported an average of more than 4,200 new cases a day — a rate of 293 new infections per 100,000 residents.
A rate of 100 or more is considered a high rate of transmission.
Nineteen California counties, including Orange, Ventura and San Diego, enter a worse COVID tier. Los Angeles County is already in the worse tier.
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