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Authorities also reported 14,669 new cases of COVID-19 and 253 more deaths, bringing the county’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 services – 81 were over 80, 92 were between 65 and 79, 49 were between 50 and 64, 12 people were between 30 and 49 years old, and four people were between 18 and 29 years old.
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The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals was unchanged from Friday at 7,597, with 22% in ICUs. After peaking at just over 8,000, hospitalizations have declined slightly in recent days.
The county has a total of approximately 2,500 licensed intensive care beds.
But health officials have warned that the number of hospitals could rise significantly again due to people infected over the Christmas and New Years holidays. The county continued to see an increase in the number of new cases each. day, which always results in more people being hospitalized.
Although the figure of one million represents about a tenth of the total population, modeling released by the county this week estimated that up to a third of residents have been infected at some point, possibly without ever knowing it.
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The Los Angeles County Public Health Department has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 in a person who recently spent time in Los Angeles County. The individual is a man who traveled to Oregon, where he is currently isolating himself.
The variant has been confirmed by Quest Laboratories in Washington State.
Although this is the first confirmed case of the variant in Los Angeles County, public health officials believe the strain is already spreading in the community and continue to test samples.
WATCH: Los Angeles County confirms first case of UK variant COVID
“The presence of the British variant in Los Angeles County is troubling as our health care system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized,” said director of public health Barbara Ferrer. sharp increase, with a huge number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, five times more than what we have experienced during the summer. This more contagious variant makes it easier to spread infections in the workplace, in stores and in our homes.
“We are in the midst of a public health emergency, so do all you can to protect yourself and those you love. If you have to work outside of your home, make sure your workplace meets all mandatory safety guidelines. no clutter anywhere, protective gear and face covers provided as needed, and infection control measures fully implemented. For those who can, it’s time to stay tuned Keep away from all non-family members and, when you must be with other people, always keep your distance and wear a face shield.Wash your hands hourly and wipe frequently touched surfaces several times per day. We need to use the tools at hand to keep us from getting infected. ”
The new strain doesn’t make people sicker, but it spreads much more easily, which means it can spread quickly through the population.
Meanwhile, the county is working to ramp up vaccination efforts, with plans to open five large-scale vaccination sites on Tuesday. These will be in addition to the large venue opened by the city at Dodger Stadium on Friday and the 75 smaller venues the county already operates.
The main issue now is the availability of vaccines.
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Dr Paul Simon, scientific director of the county public health department, said that on Thursday the county administered more than 279,000 total doses of the vaccine to healthcare workers, staff and residents of nursing and nursing facilities and skilled long-term care. . He said the county administered 44% of the vaccines it received for use as first doses in the two-dose schedule, as well as 30% of those intended for use as second doses.
“The remaining doses have either been distributed to our partner vaccine suppliers or allocated for use over the next few weeks,” said Simon.
Simon said he sympathized with those frustrated by the slow pace of vaccine administration – especially those aged 65 and over, who are already receiving vaccines in other jurisdictions who are more deeply involved in the process. distribution process. Los Angeles County does not plan to vaccinate these people until at least February, as it would have to wait until then to complete the vaccination of healthcare workers.
“We also want to expand vaccinations as quickly as possible to people 65 and over,” said Simon. “The main obstacle right now is the lack of vaccine supply. We very much hope that an additional vaccine will arrive soon so that we can start immunizing the elderly in the coming weeks. We recognize that older people and others are naturally anxious and, in many cases, frustrated with the delay in receiving the vaccine. Please know that we are committed to expanding access to the vaccine as quickly as possible. ”
City News Service contributed to this report.
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