LA County administers more vaccines at higher rates than any other large county – NBC Los Angeles

The pace of administration of the COVID-19 vaccine has been delayed due to limited supply, but health officials in Los Angeles County said on Monday that the county exceeded the progress of other large jurisdictions and people’s arms as soon as possible. Claimed to be giving a dose to.

“Our doses are limited, but we have vaccinated so many of the most vulnerable in our community,” said county supervisor Hilda Solis. “In fact, Los Angeles County vaccinates the population at a higher rate than Cook County (Illinois) and Harris County (Texas), the second and third most populous counties in the United States after Los Angeles County. I was able to.”

As of late January, 7.9% of people in Los Angeles County had at least the first vaccination, and the county was receiving 79.8% of its supply, according to Solis.

According to Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s public health department, the county had been vaccinated 991,375 times as of last week, with 790,902 vaccinations.

“LA County has so far administered more doses than any other large county or city in the United States, with the highest rates,” Feller said.

However, she admitted that the limited availability of vaccines has dramatically slowed overall efforts. The county’s weekly allocations vary widely, but on average about 140,000 doses. And nowadays, many of the new vaccine supplies we receive each week have to be booked to provide a second dose to those who have already received the first injection.

Feller said more than 85,000 reservations at the county’s vaccination site were reserved for the second vaccination until February 19.

“The biggest challenge is that not everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated has enough vaccines. We expect production and supply to increase across counties, states and Los Angeles by March.” She said.

Vaccination efforts continue as the county’s case rates and hospitalizations are steadily declining. According to Feller, the county’s average daily number of new cases has fallen 67% since early January, but only about five times the number reached last September before the winter surge. .. The average number of hospitalizations per day has decreased by about 30% since the beginning of the month.

Feller said the number of deaths per day has dropped by about 33% since early January, compared to the 1400% surge in deaths per day from December to January. He said it had decreased slightly.

“This is a tragedy that we haven’t turned around yet,” she said.

On Monday, the county reported an additional 85 deaths, and Pasadena health officials added three more, raising the cumulative death toll for the entire county to 16,857.

An additional 4,223 cases were reported, with 163 cases published by Long Beach and 49 cases reported by Pasadena, from the pandemic-wide to the county-wide 1,121,107 cases.

Reports of cases and deaths on Monday are usually low due to late reporting from the weekend.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has released footage of a drone showing damage to California’s iconic Highway 1 in Big Sur after heavy rains and floods struck the area.

According to state statistics, as of Monday, 5,259 people were hospitalized in the county, of which 1,415 were in the intensive care unit. The overall number is well below the daily average of over 8,000 patients in early January.

Dr. Christina Garry, director of the county health service, said the county emergency hospital reported a total of 816 available beds, including 87 ICU beds, on Monday morning.

However, while that number is heading in the right direction, health officials have urged residents to continue infection control measures as more businesses have resumed, especially outdoor restaurants.

“It’s not time to relax, it’s time to stay very vigilant against this deadly virus and stay home as much as possible,” Feller said. “Only the actions taken by companies and individuals in LA County will see this continued reduction in infection.”

Feller also repeated frequently asked messages throughout the week-prompting people to avoid gatherings for the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“I know this surge was partly caused by a gathering with people outside your family,” Feller said. Stay home on the infectious variant, Super Bowl Sundae. This year, no one should create the additional risk of hosting or attending a party with someone outside of your immediate home. Play safely this Sunday and enjoy the game at home with the people who live in your home. “