Warner Bros. Studios Hit Hard by Rising COVID Cases

New cases of COVID are rising in Los Angeles County and Warner Bros. may be the hardest hit within the entertainment industry. According to Deadline, the studio has 31 employees listed as infected on the official website of the L.A. County Public Health Department. Per the report, Los Angeles County’s daily tally of new cases has risen above 8000 for the first time since January.

While Warner Bros. is currently having the largest number of cases, other studios have also reported significant case counts in recent months. In May, Lionsgate reported 21 infections with more than half coming from employees returning from CinemaCon in Las Vegas. In terms of current cases The Walt Disney Company has six and Fox Sports has a current number of 10. It’s expected that official case counts are lower than actual due to the rare reporting of at-home tests.

COVID continues be an ongoing challenge, not just in the entertainment industry, but across all aspects of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (via NPR), the BA.5 variant is now the most dominant strain of the disease in the United States with some indication that reinfections are trending upwards.

As for efforts to combat the disease, CNN reports that US health officials are working on a plan to allow for second COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all adults. Currently, second boosters have been authorized for adults aged 50 and older and those with weakened immune systems. It’s unclear when protocols for widespread use of second boosters will be available. Current CDC guidelines recommend that everyone who is eligible stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines as well as suggests that everyone ages 2 years and older wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public in areas where community infection level is high, regardless of vaccination status.