Warner Bros sees big Covid-19 outbreak as rising cases hit studios

The daily number of new Covid cases in Los Angeles County has surpassed 8,000 for the first time since January, and like many local industries, Hollywood is not immune.

As per Deadline, Warner Bros. has recorded what may be the biggest showbiz outbreak of the pandemic, with 31 employees listed as infected on the official L.A. County Public Health Department website. The studio has seen smaller outbreaks, mostly in the range of 3-5 cases. In May it's Bldg 128 had a cluster of 5 cases while Stages 27 and 29 also saw 5 cases.

The second-highest known industry-related outbreak also occurred in Lionsgate in May, when the study recorded 21 infections. More than half of them were among the employees returning from CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Other notable outbreak sites include The Walt Disney Company, which is currently listed with six infections. Fox Sports, which has appeared on the list multiple times, now has a tally of 10. In May, Fox Sports and Fox Sports Deportes had more than a dozen cases, as per Deadline.

Speaking of sports, the Dodgers now have their second 10-cases outbreak of the pandemic, while Crypto.com Arena is listed with 7 infections. For comparison, Crypto.com saw 61 infections at the peak of Omicron's first wave in January.

Experts say any official number of cases overall is likely too low due to the widespread use of home test kits, the results of which are rarely reported.