COVID dies in LA, but Delta is more responsible than Omicron

Los Angeles County recently noticed an increase in deaths from coronavirus, but authorities believe it is primarily related to delta mutants rather than the prolific Omicron strains they fuel. Record high infection in the county And the whole state.

Last week, the county reported an average of 24 COVID-19 deaths per day, up from about 14 a month ago. LA reported 39 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday and 45 deaths on Thursday. The latter is the highest number of daily deaths recorded in the fall and winter.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday People still infected with the previously predominant delta mutation People dying in LA County hospitals.

“Most of the deaths we see are not complete, but still related to Delta, as many have been ill for quite some time and many have been hospitalized for quite some time before they died. It may be, “Feller said.

Dr. Rochelle Warrensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed the same sentiment earlier this week.

“Given the huge number of cases, there could be deaths from Omicron, but I think the deaths we are seeing are still due to Delta,” she said Wednesday.

“To see the effect of Omicron on mortality, we need to track these deaths over the next few weeks,” she added.

Across the state, an average of 108 Californians died of COVID-19 per day last week. According to the data Edited by the Times. This is more than double the level two weeks ago.

Hospital situation

Omicron spreads much faster than Delta’s cousin, but there is increasing evidence that it causes less serious illness for many.

But the unprecedented rise in the overall case remains a challenge.

Los Angeles County hospitals are nervous about providing medical care, Suffering from a shortage of personnel Much worse than last winter’s coronavirus surge.

Many health care workers who have been burned out by the pandemic have quit, and many remaining health care workers have tested positive for the virus and have been quarantined at home. In addition, medical facilities will be busy this year due to increasing demand for care other than COVID-19.

Total number of hospitalizations: The number of people hospitalized for all reasons is also increasing, reaching 15,000 in LA County. According to Feller, this is close to the peak of 16,500 due to the surge last winter.

ICU: COVID-19 patients are also increasing the proportion of patients in the LA County intensive care unit by nearly 25%. That number was 10% around Christmas. During the summer delta surge, the number peaked at 20% and peaked at 70% last winter.

Ventilator: The proportion of ventilator patients with COVID-19 is also increasing. Currently, about 20% of patients on mechanical ventilation are infected with COVID-19. That number was 10% last month. The latest numbers are the same as the summer surge, one-third of last winter’s peak.

“This means that Omicron is not only driving an increase in the overall hospital census, but also an increase in the proportion of patients wearing ICUs and ventilators,” Ferrer said. I am saying. “And, thankfully, this isn’t the level we saw during the surge last winter, but these numbers clearly remind more and more people that Omicron is causing a serious illness. Thing.”

Understand Omicron

Omicron is the predominant coronavirus strain in the United States, accounting for an estimated 98% of new cases nationwide. According to the CDC..

New data from Southern California provide further evidence that Omicron variants are causing less severe illnesses than the culprit Delta behind last summer’s wave.

Preliminary investigation Based on medical records from approximately 70,000 Kaiser Permanente Southern California patients, we noted that “compared to Delta, the risk of serious clinical outcomes in patients infected with the Omicron variant was significantly reduced. “Warrensky said.

The study included over 52,000 Omicron cases and nearly 17,000 Delta cases within the Kaiser system from November 30th to January 1st. FoundPatients with Omicron are 53% less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19, 74% less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, and more likely to die of illness than patients infected with Delta. Was 91% lower.

The median length of stay for hospitalized patients was 1.5 days for patients infected with Omicron and 5 days for patients infected with Delta.

Danger of Omicron

Although Omicron infections are unlikely to lead to hospitalization, California estimates that approximately 4.5% of residents require hospitalization with this strain of virus.And officials warn, it’s not clear how survivors will work Long COVID, This can cause illnesses that last for months or more, and how likely it is that Omicron child survivors will face multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-CA rare but serious complication that can be fatal.

“Sure, anyone who tells you that you can assure someone that they aren’t in the long run [consequences] From Infectious Diseases; Sure, anyone who tells you knows that this variant immunizes you forever, so you should go out and get infected-they don’t know. ” Dr. Karsten Bibins Domingo, chairman of the University of California, San Francisco School of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said, “The best virologists, the best epidemiology, the best doctors are unaware of these various topics and are divided. . “