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Los Angeles County reported 4,860 new cases of COVID-19 and 193 more deaths on Saturday, and confirmed nine new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals was 4,607, with 28% of those people in intensive care units.
The latest figures brought the county’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 1,143,422 cases and 17,955 deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The latest cases of MIS-C bring the total number of infected children in the county to 75, including one death. MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 and symptoms include a fever that does not go away and inflamed parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or the gastrointestinal organs.
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The 75 children with MIS-C in LA County were hospitalized and 44% were treated in the ICU. Of the 75, 32% were under 5 years old, 39% between 5 and 11 years old and 29% between 12 and 20 years old. Latino children represent 76% of reported cases, the department said.
The daily number of new infections and the hospitalization rate have been declining steadily since last month, but officials are warning the public to exercise caution during Sunday’s Super Bowl to avoid a repeat of the World Series and NBA Finals of the last year, at rallies in bars, restaurants and private homes were accused of fueling a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Despite some declines, we continue to experience widespread community transmission in our county,” said Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer. “The riskiest thing people can do tomorrow for Super Bowl Sunday, given our high caseload, is get together with others. Don’t live with them to enjoy the game. Please don’t attend or host parties that could turn Super Bowl Sunday into Super-Broadcaster Sunday. Instead, enjoy the game at home with those who live with you or connect virtually with friends and family online to avoid a further increase in cases. “
Meanwhile, county officials reported slow but steady progress in COVID-19 vaccination efforts on Friday, but said less than 3% of the population had been fully vaccinated and appointments for the first doses would be difficult to come next week.
At the five large-scale vaccination sites run by the county, a limited number of first doses will be given on Monday, with the remainder of the week’s appointments reserved only for people who need their second dose of the drug, according to Dr. Paul. Simon, scientific director of the county health department.
Simon said if the issue only affected the county’s five mega-sites, residents could experience issues in other locations as all providers face vaccine shortages.
“Unfortunately, the biggest problem we continue to face in our ability to vaccinate is the scarcity of supply and the variability in the amount of vaccine we receive from week to week,” said Simon. “It has been a problem across the country and it makes planning difficult.”
According to Simon, the most recent figures indicate that more than 1.05 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the county to date, including just over 104,000 seconds. This means 2.6% of the county’s population aged 16 and over has been fully vaccinated so far. About 11% of the population 16 years of age and over received at least one dose.
The slow progress of the vaccination program has led some residents to get creative in finding ways to manipulate the appointment system to gain access to vaccines.
Some people who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated have made it a habit to dwell at vaccination sites on the slight possibility that there are doses remaining at the end of the day that need to be administered to avoid to waste them. Ferrer said this week there have been issues with people claiming to be babysitters of disabled children showing up to vaccination sites with a generic Xeroxed letter identifying them as such.
The Supreme Court lifted California’s ban on indoor religious services. The judges ruled that Gov. Gavin Newsoms’ strict orders violated constitutional protection for the free exercise of religion. Video broadcast on Saturday February 6, 2021 on Today in LA.
Simon described another way some people have tried to skip the line to get the shot. According to Simon, people who received emails from the county about making an appointment for a second dose of the vaccine shared the unique web link included in the emails with friends. These people “then make an appointment for the first dose even if they are not eligible to be vaccinated at the moment”.
“It’s important for people to understand that these actions take away access to vaccination for high-risk people who are eligible for the vaccine at the moment, ” said Simon.` `When we identify these appointments, they are canceled. I want the public to know that people who are not eligible and who show up on one of our sites with one of these shared dates will be refused. “
He said he didn’t have numbers on how many people tried to jump the line this way, but “it was happening enough that we noticed it very clearly.”
As COVID-19 continues to devastate communities of color, health experts are examining the role of racism in vaccine reluctance. Beverly White is reporting for NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on February 5, 2021.
“In some cases this was done very deliberately – I think you could call it cheating,” he said. “And in other cases, I think people, you know, didn’t necessarily see it that way, they were just looking at every opportunity to get the shot.”
Simon said the county was trying to find a way to modify the computer system to prevent such appointments.
According to Simon, the county received 184,625 doses of the vaccine this week, and Ferrer said earlier this week that the county was planning a larger allocation next week, perhaps more than 200,000, but the size of a week’s shipments. to the other remains a mystery.
Simon expressed hope that supplies continue to increase, and hailed the impending creation of a Federal Emergency Management Agency vaccination site in Cal State Los Angeles, which will supplement local availability of doses. The eventual approval in the coming weeks of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also be a major benefit, he said.
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