LA County updates the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility list as the region approaches 1 million virus cases

Los Angeles (KABC)-As Los Angeles County approaches the milestone of one million coronavirus cases, health officials have expanded their eligibility list to five large sites capable of up to 5,000 vaccinations. By establishing it, it announced plans to dramatically increase vaccination. every day.

It is now possible to inoculate all health care workers in the county. This includes, but is not limited to, people working in emergency or primary care clinics, dental offices and pharmacies. Previously, only frontline workers in hospitals and elderly housings were allowed to shoot.

Authorities are aiming to accelerate deployment as vaccines can expire if they are not distributed in time.

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The county wants to vaccinate 500,000 health workers by the end of January.

Five new vaccine distribution sites scheduled to open throughout the county next week will be in addition to the municipal vaccine site that will open this week at Dodger Stadium, the country’s largest COVID-19 test site.

The county already has dozens of vaccination sites throughout the region, offering drug doses. The new high-capacity site (location not disclosed) “makes it possible to speed up vaccination of front-line healthcare workers,” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday. It was.

“These five sites, in addition to our private partner sites, will allow healthcare professionals to complete another 500,000 vaccinations by the end of January,” she said. ..

If vaccination of most health care workers in the county is completed by the end of the month, the next phase of distribution work will begin in early February. Known as 1B, this phase involves people over the age of 75 and several categories of key workers. By late March, the county hopes to begin Phase 1C. This includes people over the age of 50, or people over the age of 16 who are in underlying health at high risk of serious illness.

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Vaccination efforts arise as counties and states continue to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. In the county, on average, one person dies every eight minutes and ten people are positive every minute.

“We are rapidly accelerating to reach the tough milestone of one million,” Feller said.

12,617 new infections were confirmed on Monday, 122 were announced by health authorities in Pasadena and 88 were announced in Long Beach, bringing the county-wide total to 932,908 since the pandemic began. The county announced another 137 COVID-19 deaths on Monday, and Pasadena confirmed one more death, increasing the county-wide death to 12,388.

Hospitals continue to be flooded with coronavirus patients, and as of Monday, 70 medical centers accepting 701s have only 650 beds available (including 48 beds in the intensive care unit). However, authorities have expressed some casual optimism about the recent flattening of new hospitalizations.

According to the state, as of Monday, there were 7,926 COVID-19 patients in the Los Angeles County hospital, of which 1,724 were in the intensive care unit. Last week, the total number exceeded 8,000. Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the number of hospitalized people has increased by 6% in the last two weeks over the past 14 days. “Among the smallest increases seen in the last two weeks.

“This is an optimistic view and a bit of light,” Newsom said, warning that hospitalizations could rise even further given the recent winter vacation.

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Dr. Christina Garry, director of health services at Los Angeles County, also said that hospital admissions appear to be “stable” after a dramatic surge in recent weeks, but hospital overcrowding has not yet eased. I pointed out. She said more than half of the inpatients were treated with COVID-19 and more than 75% of ICU patients were infected with the virus, and that these numbers were similar at other hospitals in the county. I did.

“We still have patients on board the emergency department, and our clinical care team is treating more patients than normal,” says Ghaly.

“… All hospitals in the medical facility continue to be understaffed throughout the county, and we are still in the midst of this deadly surge,” she said. We are monitoring the data very carefully for the next few days. , This is the time when we expect to see a surge in patients since recent Christmas and New Year holidays. “

Hilda Solis, the county overseer, called on residents to adhere to infection control measures such as wearing masks and staying at home as much as possible, continuously reminding them of the seriousness of the pandemic and mentioning the pain of those dying from COVID. Did. -19 people in a hospital away from loved ones.

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“Dying with COVID in the hospital means dying alone … the family is sharing their final farewell on their tablets and cell phones,” Solis said.

Solis said he had heard stories about such conversations from healthcare professionals, often including children and young relatives who apologized to their parents and grandparents for bringing the virus home.

“These apologies are part of the last words a loved one hears when he dies alone,” Solis said. Don’t do this for your family. Don’t do this to your parents or grandparents. “

Since the pandemic began, about 5 million people in the county have been tested for COVID-19, with 18% positive.

City News Service contributed to this report.