Officials also reported 14,669 new cases of COVID-19 and 253 additional deaths, bringing the province’s total to 1,003,923 cases and 13,741 deaths.
Of the 238 deaths, excluding those in Long Beach and Pasadena – which have their own health departments – 81 were older than 80, 92 were between 65 and 79, 49 were between 50 and 64, 12 were between 30 and 49, and four were between the ages of 18 and 29.
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The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals remained unchanged as of Friday 5975, with 22% in the ICU. After hospitalizations peaked at just over 8,000, they have been declining over the past few days.
The province has a total of approximately 2,500 licensed ICU beds.
But health officials have warned that hospital numbers could rise significantly due to people being infected during the Christmas and New Year holidays. The province is still seeing increased new numbers daily, which always means more people are being admitted to hospital.
Although the 1 million figure represents about a tenth of the total population, the modeling that the country announced this week estimated that as many as a third of the population was infected at some point, probably without ever having to know.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 in an individual who recently spent time in Los Angeles County. The individual is a man who traveled to Oregon, where he is currently isolated.
The variant was confirmed by Quest Laboratories in the state of Washington.
Although this is the first confirmed case of the variant in Los Angeles County, health officials here believe the tension is already spreading in the community, and they continue to test samples.
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“The presence of the British variant in Los Angeles County is worrying, as our healthcare system is already very tense with more than 7,500 people currently being admitted to hospital,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “Our community carries the heaviest for the winter. Boom, experience large numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times more than we experienced during the summer. This more contagious variant makes it easier for infections to spread in the workplace, at shops and in to distribute our homes.
“We are in the midst of a public health emergency, so do everything in your power to protect yourself and those you love. If you are expected to work outside your home, make sure you your workplace meets all mandatory safety regulations, there should be no congestion, protective equipment and face masks are provided as needed, and infection control measures are fully implemented, for those who can do so, it’s time to stay away from all non-domestic members, and, when you need to be close to others, always keep a distance and wear a face mask.Wash your hands every hour and wipe the surfaces that are touched regularly several times a day.We must use the tools at hand to prevent infecting each other. “
The new tribe does not make people sicker, but is transmitted much more easily, which means that it can spread quickly through the population.
Meanwhile, the country is pushing for vaccination efforts, with plans to open five major vaccine sites on Tuesday. It is in addition to the large premises that were opened by the city in Dodger Stadium on Friday, and 75 smaller sites that the country already operates.
The most important question now is the availability of vaccines.
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Dr Paul Simon, chief scientific officer of the public health department, said the province had administered more than 279,000 doses of vaccine to health workers and staff and residents of skilled nursing and long-term care facilities since Thursday. . He said the country administered 44% of the vaccines it received as first doses in the two-dose regimen, along with 30% of the vaccines used as second doses.
“The remaining doses were either distributed to our partner vaccination providers or were allocated over the next few weeks,” Simon said.
Simon said he sympathized with people who were frustrated by the slow pace of administration of the vaccines – especially among people aged 65 and over, who are already receiving vaccinations in other areas of law that are deeper in the distribution process. Los Angeles County does not expect people to be vaccinated by at least February, as health workers are expected to be vaccinated.
“We also want to expand vaccinations to 65-year-olds and older as soon as possible,” Simon said. The main obstacle at the moment is the lack of adequate vaccination. We are very hopeful that additional vaccine will be coming soon so that we can start vaccinating seniors within the next few weeks. We acknowledge seniors and others are understandably anxious and in many cases frustrated at the delay in receiving vaccine. Please be aware that we are committed to expanding access to the vaccine as soon as possible. ‘
City News Service contributed to this report.
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