FILE - In this March, 12, 2020, file photo, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer takes questions at a news conference in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County has dropped out of the high COVID-19 community level under federal guidelines, as infections and rates of hospitalizations continue to fall. Ferrer said Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, that while trends are encouraging, "there are still thousands of new people each day who are infected and therefore capable of infecting others." (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)