As the holidays come to a close, ICUs are still overwhelmed and the public is being urged to quarantine after the holidays.
As of Monday, December 28, the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health confirmed 73 new deaths and new 13,661 cases of COVID-19. There were 6,914 people with COVID-19 hospitalized with 20% of these people in the ICU. Since early November, the daily hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 has increased more than 670%. L.A. County Dept. of Public Health has stated that these are highest, daily hospitalizations they’ve seen at this point.
As we edge out of the holiday season and into a new year, Los Angeles County is still riding the COVID-19 surge and health officials are still calling for the public to do its part. Health officials have stated we may see another surge in a few weeks if the public disregarded safety protocols during the Christmas holiday.
The L.A. County Dept. of Public Health is asking those who traveled outside of L.A. County recently to quarantine for 10 days. They are stressing the possibility that travelers may have had exposure to COVID-19. The virus can take up to 14 days to incubate, and for many people, they may be asymptomatic. They are asking for anyone going back to work, go shopping or going to any gatherings at any point over the next 10 days to wait as they could be exposing others to the virus.
According to health officials, the best way to safely quarantine is to not leave your home or allow any visitors to your home. They recommend asking family or friends who can help buy groceries and other essential necessities. If the public needs help during self-quarantine, there are resources available by calling 211 or visiting the Public Health website.
The Moderna vaccine was distributed to skilled nursing facilities last week right before the Christmas holiday. According to the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health, as of Saturday, 1,748 doses had been administered at those facilities. Vaccinations at other long-term care facilities are set to happen through a federal pharmacy partnership with Walgreens and CVS to possibly begin in January. As the county receives additional doses of vaccine, additional health care workers in Tiers 2 and 3 of Phase 1A will receive vaccines, which includes healthcare personnel engaging in field work, working at specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental and other oral health clinics, pharmacy staff (not in higher-tier settings) and vaccinators.
The Stay at Home Orders issued by the State will remain in effect, as ICUs still struggle to receive patients. The public is being asked to prohibit gathering with non-household members, require everyone to stay at home as much as possible, reduce occupancy limits at businesses, and require masking and distancing whenever around others. Outdoor exercise is fine as long as the public remains distanced and wear a face covering when around others. The state mandate also holds all non-essential business and activities cease between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Public Health identified 733,325 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 9,555 deaths.
Laboratory confirmed total cases show 733,325 with Los Angeles County showing 697,831 cases, Long Beach with 29,197 cases and Pasadena with 6,297. According to race and ethnicity, COVID-19 statistics show: American Indian/Alaska Native with 1,161; Asian with 25,830; Black with 22,385; Hispanic/Latino with 300,632; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander with 2,548; White with 65,614; those of other race and ethnicity with 69,684 and 209,977 under investigation.
For more information and statistics on COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/
