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Los Angeles County officials said on Sunday that appointments were available this week at the county’s five major coronavirus vaccination centers at Magic Mountain, Pomona Fairplex, Cal State Northridge, The Forum in Inglewood and the Downey County Office of Education.
Appointments can be booked at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm.
Residents who receive their first dose of the vaccine at a high-capacity, county-run vaccination site will receive the date and location of their second dose and will be automatically checked in for their second appointment. They will also receive email reminders.
On Sunday, the county reported 8,243 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 more deaths, bringing the county’s total to 1,073,111 cases and 15,260 deaths.
There were 6,697 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in the county on Sunday, up from 6,881 a day earlier. That number had peaked at over 8,000 earlier this year.
But while that number is on the decline, healthcare workers and intensive care unit capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region continuing to have 0% available intensive care unit space and remaining under pressure. regional home stay regime.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials urged residents concerned to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as supplies remain woefully inadequate and the online reservation system overloaded leaving many frustrated as they are trying to schedule appointments.
“We are also seeing a decrease in hospitalizations and several other indicators that we are monitoring, including the test positivity rate, the percentage of emergency room visits associated with COVID-19 and the percentage of respiratory samples positive for COVID at the sites of surveillance of sentinel laboratories, ”said Dr Paul Simon, the department’s scientific director.
“However, despite these promising trends, I would like to stress that the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains far too high,” he said. “So while there is reason to hope, we all need to stay vigilant and continue to be so. Disciplined, wear masks, physically distance ourselves outside the home, avoid gatherings and wash ourselves. hands frequently. “
Simon said the five sites – each capable of delivering 4,000 shots per day – will be operating at a much lower capacity this week, likely in the range of 2,000 to 2,500.
The county expects to receive about 143,900 additional doses of the vaccine this week. However, since people are due to receive two doses of the drug, spaced three to four weeks apart, most of the vaccine coming this week will be used to give second doses to people who have already received the first vaccine. Public health director Barbara Ferrer earlier estimated that only 37,900 of the new doses will be available for people to receive their first dose.
Simon said on Friday the most recent figures showed 441,140 doses of the vaccine had already been administered in the county, although he said that number was likely much higher due to delays in counting vaccination totals . As of that week, the county had received approximately 853,000 total doses.
Simon said people shouldn’t look at these numbers and assume that there are 400,000 unused doses in the county, again noting the delay in immunization reports and daily dosing. If the county’s weekly allowance does not improve significantly beyond the current average of around 150,000, “the vaccination effort will likely continue until 2022,” Simon said.
He said that if the county could get its allowance increased to 500,000 per week, “we would have the potential to reach 75% of the county’s adult population, or 6 million adults, by the middle of the year. summer.”
In the meantime, he urged patience, saying, “We understand how important it is to get the vaccine out as quickly as possible.”
He said the state was improving its vaccine appointment website, which the county system is linked to, so it should run more smoothly this week.
The county also has a call-in reservation system, which is available from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 833-540-0473. But that line should only be used by people who are unable to use the website, as call volumes are already extremely high, Simon said.
On Saturday, the health department confirmed 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases of coronavirus.
The COVID-19 outbreak that started around Thanksgiving and continued throughout the New Year appears to be leveling off. The goal now is to get people vaccinated, but there is a shortage of doses across the country and even in LA County. Michelle Valles is reporting for NBC4 News on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
There were 6,881 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, and 24% are in intensive care. This is the first time since December 29 that daily hospitalizations have fallen to less than 7,000 patients. But while that number is on the decline, healthcare workers and intensive care unit capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region continuing to have 0% available intensive care unit space and remaining under pressure. regional home stay regime.
Eight new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have also been reported. This brings the total number of MIS-C cases in LA County to 62 children, one of whom has died. All 62 were hospitalized and 45% were treated in an ICU. Among children with MIS-C, 31% were under 5 years old; 37% were between 5 and 11 years old; and 32% were between 12 and 20 years old. Latino / Latinx children account for almost 74% of reported cases.
MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19. Symptoms include a fever that does not go away and parts of the body that are inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If you think your child has symptoms of MIS-C, contact your primary or emergency care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you don’t have a primary care provider, dial 211 and the LA County will help you connect to one.
Also on Sunday, officials announced the scheduled opening of a COVID-19 contextual test site at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 6364 Zindell Ave. in commerce. The site will open on Tuesday.
The tests are free and no proof of medical insurance is required. All on-site testing will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. January 26-30.
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