COVID-19 continues surging to record levels in Los Angeles County which some officials predict will soon become the epicenter of the pandemic in America.
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.
“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 L.A. County.
“L.A. County is now moving towards becoming the epicenter of the pandemic,” he said. “We are not at the stage yet at which other parts of the world, including in the United States, have suffered catastrophic consequences, but we are heading in that direction. And if we don’t stop the spread, our hospitals will be overwhelmed.”
Some 324 more people were hospitalized in Los Angeles County on Saturday with a total of 5,424 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19. That sets a new record for hospitalizations in the county, beating the previous record of 5,100 which was set on Friday. Of those hospitalized, 21% are in the ICU.
The 11-county Southern California region’s ICU bed availability remains at 0%. It first dropped to 0% on Thursday and has remained there ever since.
The Southern California region covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The region has been under a state-imposed regional stay-at-home lockdown order since Dec. 7 because of the low number of ICU beds available.
Los Angeles County reported 13,756 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. That brings the county to a cumulative total of 610,372 cases since the pandemic began in March.
The county announced 60 more people dead from the coronavirus on Saturday, pushing the county’s cumulative death toll to 8,817 people.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department did NOT release COVID-19 information for individual cities with its daily update on Saturday. This is the first time since the pandemic began that the health department has not provided breakdowns by individual cities.
Below are the Friday numbers for West Hollywood and nearby areas since no Saturday numbers were provided.
- West Hollywood – total of 1,203 cases and a total of 10 deaths.
- Beverly Hills – total of 1,321 cases and a total of 14 deaths.
- Culver City – total of 978 cases and a total of 38 deaths.
- Hollywood – total of 2,711 cases and a total of 22 deaths.
- Melrose neighborhood – total of 3,999 cases and a total of 89 deaths.
- Miracle Mile – total of 438 cases and a total of 6 deaths.
- Park La Brea – total of 272 cases and a total of 1 death.
- Santa Monica – total of 2,136 cases and a total of 54 deaths.
For information about the many resources available to West Hollywood residents who have been impacted by COVID-19, CLICK HERE.
Read this awful article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/coronavirus-vaccine-rich-people/2020/12/18/3a2f188e-40ae-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html
Maybe our hospitals are full because California is 49th in hospital beds per population in the country and LA county is 35th in California in hospital beds per population. This is a sad fact you can look up.
California is a total sick joke. Two billion dollars were given by the Department of Unemployment to prisoners by mistake. That money could have built hospitals There used to be many religious association or sponsored hospitals.They were bought up by the enemy elites. Billionaire hedge fund companies run by greedy white straight males. Who’s only concern in life is to screw everybody they can. It’s time to bring in the Huey Long tax system. Tax Silicone Valley and all billionaires at 95%. Same goes for Nancy Pelosi who’s worth $150 million. Take the money and build hospitals.
Thank GOD these healthcare workers are able to get the vaccine so they can work without fearing for their life.
The LA numbers over the last few weeks have been tragic.