Los Angeles County on Wednesday added more than 800 people to the list of those who died from COVID-19, highlighting the tremendous toll of fall and winter congestion.
The addition means a jump in the total number of deaths, which just reached 20,000 this week, as deaths due to the disease exceeded 50,000 in California.
Most deaths occurred during the fall and winter congestion, which overwhelmed hospitals and spurred new home orders.
This is what we know:
How were the additional deaths found?
The backlog of 806 new COVID-19 deaths in LA County, most of which occurred in December and January, was discovered after extensive investigations into death rates, Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, said Wednesday.
‘It was a period, as you all know, in which many deaths occurred in the country. And not everyone was reported [the Department of] Public health because of the amount of records. â
The province usually identifies COVID-19 deaths through daily reports from healthcare providers. But the country is also conducting an audit of the causes of death listed on death certificates. According to Ferrer, the additional deaths were found.
‘The 806 deaths reported today,’ she said, ‘reflect the COVID deaths that occurred during the boom and were not reported to the Public Health through the death report form. always do these reviews. â
The additional deaths account for about 8% of the total COVID-19 deaths in LA County in December and January, she added.
“It is heartbreaking to report this large number of additional deaths associated with COVID-19,” Ferrer said. “And it’s a devastating reminder of the terrible toll that has hit the winter solstice of so many families across the country.”
What is the current outlook?
Despite the huge backlog reported on Wednesday, deaths as well as cases of coronavirus have dropped over the past few weeks.
California takes over about 6000 new cases of coronavirus a day now, down from 40,000 a day six weeks ago. The number of COVID-19 patients in California hospitals was 6,185 on Thursday, lower than 21,936 on January 6th.
The number of people in the intensive care units on Thursday was 1 778, a decrease of 63% from a peak of 4 868 on 10 January and the lowest total since 1 December.
The picture is also improving dramatically in LA County.
Ferrer said Monday that the daily number of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County has reached lows that have not been seen since the winter surge. Over the past seven days, LA County recorded an average of 1,956 new cases of coronavirus per day, 87% lower than in early January, when there were more than 15,000 new cases per day.
“We continue to make progress in reducing the average daily number of new cases of COVID-19,” Ferrer said.
LA County also saw a decline in deaths before the reported backlog. In early January, the province recorded an average of 241 COVID-19 deaths per day over a seven-day period; during the most recent seven-day period, the country saw an average of 120 deaths per day, a decrease of 50%.
Verrer also said the province’s percentage of positive test results, which exceeded 20% on January 1, fell below 5%.
The effective transmission rate in LA County dropped from 0.81 a week ago to 0.76, meaning the virus is transmitted to 76 people for every 100 infected people.
What is the concern going forward?
In general, there is growing optimism that COVID-19 vaccines can fight and significantly slow the spread over time. One of the biggest problems is that the vaccine supply is limited.
And officials support an increase in the more transmissible variants of the virus, including a California strain that looks increasingly dangerous.
Officials are investigating a group of four cases of coronavirus at USC, two of which have been confirmed as the more contagious and potentially deadly variant first identified in Britain, B.1.1.7.
The other two cases are still awaiting confirmation from the lab, Ferrer said.
“All of these cases have been detected as part of the USC’s routine testing and surveillance program,” she said Wednesday. “The individuals are doing well and they are in isolation. Close contacts have been identified, notified, and they are in quarantine. â
Scientific research suggests that the currently available COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the British variant.
“But with the vaccine still very limited, local transmission of the potentially more contagious British variant emphasizes the need for each of our residents to use every tool we have to prevent transmission,” Ferrer said, including “Do not get along with people. You do not attend and distance and mask when you are outside your home and around others.”
There are now 18 confirmed cases of the British variant in LA County, more than 200 in California and more than 1,800 nationwide, with 45 states reporting cases.
Christina Ghaly, director of health services in Los Angeles County, noted Tuesday that this week could cause an increase in cases due to gatherings during Super Bowl weekend.
“An increase in behavior that facilitates transfer can only lead to an increase in the number of hospitalized patients within a few weeks,” Ghaly said. “It can happen very quickly, and as we all know, it’s very difficult to turn things around and enforce the numbers again.”