911 ambulance calls are delayed in LA County

In Los Angeles County, ambulances are starting to delay responding to 911 calls as more employees are unable to work due to COVID-related illnesses and ambulances are forced to wait for patients to unload at hospitals. Health officials said on Monday.

“People need to contact their doctors for suggestions for treating mild COVID symptoms,” the County Health Services Department said in a statement to the Times. “Don’t ask for a COVID test in an established location, not in the emergency department.”

Meanwhile, hospitalizations for children with coronavirus infections in Los Angeles County tripled last month.

The number of children up to the age of four who were hospitalized for Christmas was 3.25 times higher than on December 4. During the same period, hospitalizations between the ages of 12 and 17 tripled, and hospitalizations between the ages of 5 and 11 tripled. The old man was 1.5 times more expensive.

Research has It is shown Omicron variants are less likely to infect the lungs than Delta and can reduce the likelihood of pneumonia and breathing problems in adults.

However, Omicron is highly contagious in its ability to infect the upper respiratory tract, which can cause problems for children, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Said Sunday’s CBS “Face the Nation”. Toddlers said, “There is a problem with upper respiratory tract infections. And in fact, croup-like infections and bronchiolitis are increasing among children in New York City, so it can be a challenge for young children. Being sex, we see an increase in hospitalizations in that pediatric segment.

“This was not a benign illness for young children. There is a perception that young children have not been hit hard by the coronavirus so far. That is not true. More than 600 people with COVID in the last two years. We have recorded child deaths, “Gottlieb said. To look at it, he added that there were only three childhood influenza deaths during the pandemic process.

“So this is affecting children, especially toddlers,” he said. “And this new strain may prefer the upper respiratory tract, which can be a bigger challenge for young children because of the way they bind to airway cells.”

To reduce the spread of the coronavirus, health officials are encouraging residents of Los Angeles County to use surgical or blue masks or medical-grade masks such as N95, KN95, or KF94. Wearing an old, loose, cloth mask alone is not very effective. Placing a cloth mask on top of the surgical mask will tighten the fit and is more effective than the surgical mask alone.

Officials on Monday urged people to avoid going to the emergency room unless there was true emergency care.

“We continue to experience a surge in cases, [the Department of] Public health warns residents to avoid visiting emergency rooms unless they need emergency medical care. Residents should not visit the emergency department solely for minor complaints that can be resolved through a COVID test or through a primary care physician, “the county said in a statement.

“Visit to the emergency room should be booked for patients who are feeling severe illness (eg, shortness of breath) or who have serious health concerns and need urgent emergency treatment. I have.”

LA County reported 16,269 new cases of coronavirus on Monday. This is an artificially low count due to the delay in reporting the New Year weekend.

The county recorded 23,553 new cases on Saturday and an additional 21,200 cases on Sunday. This is well above last winter’s peak average of 16,000 daily. The number of these weekends can also be underestimated due to the holidays.

Approximately 22.5% — 1 in 5 — residents of LA County who have been tested in the past week have been positive for coronavirus. Infection rates in Los Angeles County are estimated to be higher than at any time since the early months of the pandemic, due to the explosive growth in cases throughout California. State estimates released Monday afternoon show that on average, all infected people in LA County infect the other two. According to the county health services department, the estimated infection rate did not exceed 1.4 during the surge last winter.

LA school officials Ordered Students and staff are required to undergo a mandatory coronavirus test after winter vacation and before returning to campus on January 10. Health officials have encouraged all staff and students to be tested before or during the first few days of school.

All public and private school employees in LA County are required to wear medical grade masks at work, and students and staff are required to wear masks outdoors in crowded spaces under strict rules. issued soon.

In a statement, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said staff, teachers and students should take booster shots as soon as they qualify. Boosters are available to people over 16 years old.

“Important protection from this airborne virus infection is proper and high quality masks. These should be worn by everyone in the school, indoors and outdoors in crowded areas, and if possible. , Children and staff should test negative for COVID-19 in the first week of returning to the classroom, “Ferrer said.

The federal government has begun the process of making young teens subject For booster shots.U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved A booster between the ages of 12 and 15, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to make recommendations before shots are available to that age group.

“The data show that there are no new safety concerns after boosting this population,” the FDA said in a statement. Authorities reported that there were no new cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart.

The FDA has also reduced the permitted period from the second vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech primary vaccination series to booster shots from 6 months to 5 months for people over the age of 12.

In addition, the agency allowed certain children aged 5 to 11 years with weakened immunity to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.