L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn tests positive for coronavirus

Los Angeles Borough Manager Janice Hahn tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend, forcing her to miss Tuesday’s board meeting.

Hahn is tired, has a sore throat and is resting at home, her communications director Liz Odendahl said. It is unclear where Hahn got infected.

“I’m vaccinated and refreshed, but I’m feeling pretty bad and I still have a terrible cough,” says Hahn, 70. wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning.

On the five-member board, Hahn represents the 4th Ward, which includes part of the South Bay along with the communities of South Gate, Huntington Park, and Lynwood, extending east to Whittier and La Habra Heights.

Hahn’s positive test comes as California and the nation continue to grapple with elevated levels of coronavirus transmission fueled by highly contagious Omicron subvariants. In LA County, officials say the summer coronavirus wave appears to be peaking.

LA County’s weekly test positivity — the proportion of tests performed and reported that confirm coronavirus infection — fell to 12% on Monday from 15% in late July, according to county data.

While hospital admissions are higher than in May, June and early July, they have also leveled off in recent weeks. As of Monday, 1,151 coronavirus-positive patients have been hospitalized across the country.

The improvements in case and hospitalization rates helped LA County avoid a mask mandate late last month.

Hahn said at the time that she preferred that the county remain in line with the state, which strongly recommends but does not require masking in indoor public places.

“Local businesses that I know have told my office that they are concerned about having to enforce this mask mandate when such a large segment of the population opposes it,” she said.

Hahn is the youngest locally elected official, including several of her peers on the board, to test positive this year.

In January, supervisor Kathryn Barger fell ill with COVID-19. She wrote at the time that it felt like a cold, but acknowledged that “every person is different.”

Supervisor Hilda Solis tested positive in May. She wrote on Twitter that she had mild symptoms and encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and boosted.

The mayor and vice mayor of Beverly Hills also tested positive in May.