Image by David Mark from Pixabay
To date, Public Health identified 610,372 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 8,817 deaths.
There are 5,424 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 21% of these people are in the ICU. Today’s number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is again a new high and an increase of more than 300 patients since yesterday.
A recent decision by the Court of Appeal affirms Los Angeles County’s duty to prevent disease transmission and protect public health through existing Health Officer Orders, and the suspension of outdoor dining remains in effect. Public Health reminds all sectors and businesses that all other requirements, safety directives, and temporary business closures also remain in effect.
If there is a light on the horizon, it is that Pfizer s initial vaccine allocation is currently being used by acute-care hospitals to vaccinate frontline health care personnel. A second allotment of Pfizer vaccine is anticipated to arrive next week and will be used to inoculate additional health care workers at acute-care hospitals, Public Health announced. While we now see the light at the end of the tunnel, we haven t reached the light yet, said Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. The pandemic is going to continue for many, many months after we begin vaccinating people. This is not the time to start ignoring public health advice and recommendations. Our hospitals are critically overcrowded in LA County.
By Dec. 9 the SoCal ICU capacity dropped to 9% later dipping to 6.2% by Dec. 11.
By Saturday, the ICU capacity available further declined to 5.3%, with a spike down on Monday to 2.7% and 0.5% on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles County reported the most-ever cases of COVID-19, with 22,422 coronavirus cases along with 138 deaths, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
“I want to acknowledge that we’re experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge and there’s urgency in our request that everyone does all that’s in their power to slow transmission and prevent additional suffering,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health on Wednesday.
Southern California ICU Capacity Drops To 0% Amid Record-Breaking COVID-19 Surge
The Southern California region intensive care unit (ICU) capacity has dropped to 0% Thursday amid a record-breaking COVID-19 surge across the state.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health announced that the ICU capacity for the Southern California region is now 0%, down from 0.5% the day before.
“You hear we’re at 0%. That doesn’t mean we have no ICU beds or staff available at all. It means we’re into a surge,” Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday, referring to the first region to reach 0% capacity, the San Joaquin Valley.
This comes at the heels of the most-ever cases recorded in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, with 22,422 coronavirus cases along with 138 deaths, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Southern California ICU Capacity Drops To 0.5% As Henry Mayo Faces Staffing Shortage
The remaining intensive care unit (ICU) capacity in the Southern California region has dropped to 0.5% percent as officials at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital struggle to maintain adequate staffing in their own ICU.
We cannot afford to see another holiday surge that will overwhelm our already strained hospital system. Please, stay home as much as possible, wear your face coverings and don’t gather. pic.twitter.com/RGW4hbWWVB
On Wednesday, the California Department of Public Health announced that the ICU capacity for the Southern California region had dropped to 0.5%, which is less than a third of the previous day’s capacity.