California infection and hospitalization rates drop, but vaccine rollout wreaks havoc – NBC Los Angeles

After a deadly months-long coronavirus outbreak, California is starting to see infection and hospitalization rates drop even as the state struggles to implement a chaotic vaccination schedule and warns people to stay on their guards.

The number of new virus cases reported on Tuesday was just over 12,000, the lowest daily figure since November. By early January, daily counts were usually over 40,000.

Hospital capacity is increasing after falling so low in December that overwhelmed facilities have spoken of rationing of care. If current trends continue, the number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 will halve by early March, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr Mark Ghaly said on Tuesday.

The Biden administration said it would increase vaccine distribution and use pharmacies directly. Patrick Healy reported on NBC4 News on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.

Another benchmark is the capacity of intensive care units. Most counties received stay-at-home orders in December. Southern California – the most populous and hardest hit of the state’s five designated regions – has used up its regular intensive care beds and remained at 0% capacity until January.

But in just over three weeks, the number of intensive care patients statewide has gone from a record high of nearly 4,900 to about 3,800 and all state stay-at-home orders have been lifted.

The state predicts that in four weeks, the Southern California region could see its intensive care capacity reach 44%.

California has recorded more than 41,000 deaths – placing it just behind New York City among the states – but even that rate may be starting to drop. After averaging 544 daily deaths last week, the last three daily counts have averaged 371.

Still, Ghaly said rates of COVID-19 cases “are falling, but they’re not low.”

Championship celebrations in Southern California following the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory and NBA crown for the LA Lakers last fall marked the start of the wave, which peaked in January before starting to drop sharply.

“The chance of another outbreak in California is real” if people let their guard down or if mutations in the virus become prevalent, Ghaly said.

He urged people not to gather for the big Super Bowl celebrations on Sunday, which could turn into “super-broadcaster” events.

“Try to share as little as possible, except for the cheers,” he joked. “Don’t fumble with it.”

The state is also taking a number of steps to prepare for the possibility of a fourth wave. He maintains an order that speeds up patient transfers between medical facilities, continues to bring in outside health workers, and helps hospitals make sure they have enough oxygen for patients with respiratory disease, Ghaly said.

Meanwhile, the state of nearly 40 million is working to smooth out a bumpy rollout of COVID-19 vaccines that was marked by too few doses and different county rules to determine who was immediately eligible for receive them.

Ghaly said the state administered more than 3.5 million doses of the vaccine, dramatically increasing the daily number of vaccines it was handing out just a few weeks ago, Ghaly said.

The Biden administration has pledged to expedite delivery, and on Tuesday CVS Pharmacies announced it will begin vaccinating people in select California stores next week.

But California still lags behind other U.S. states on immunizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and desperate residents are reporting lingering problems trying to schedule an appointment as officials with the State are trying to create a system that protects the most vulnerable.

Officials announced last week that the state is creating a new centralized vaccine distribution system led by insurance giant Blue Shield. But a letter of intent signed by the state and the company released on Monday shows the specifics of the program are still being worked out even as state officials said they hoped to switch to the new system at the time. mid February.

The state has allowed health workers, teachers, food and agriculture workers, other first responders, and people 65 and over to be vaccinated. In a surprise move last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state would then move to an age-based system, scandalizing, among others, people with disabilities who had queued previously.

The Newsom administration “is breaking its promise to keep our community safe,” said Judy Mark, President of Disability Voices United.

“What they are saying is that they are ready to protect all people and caregivers around people with disabilities, but not people with disabilities themselves,” she said.

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Amy Taxin in Orange County, Janie Har in San Francisco, and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento contributed to this report.