Coronavirus cases are still declining in Los Angeles as vaccinations increase

Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles County coronavirus counts continue to decline, with authorities reporting 423 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths on Sunday.

According to state statistics, the number of residents in the county hospitalized for the virus decreased from 792 on Saturday to 750, and the number of patients in the intensive care unit decreased from 216 to 191.

The number on Sunday has resulted in a total of 1,214,178 cases and 22,797 deaths in the county since the pandemic began. According to health officials, the decline in deaths reported on Sunday may reflect a delay in reporting over the weekend.

When 521 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday, the Los Angeles County Public Health Department reported that more than 70% of those cases were from people under the age of 50, and 56 were reported on Saturday. 93% of deaths are over 50 years old.

“Many young people are interacting with non-household members, raising concerns that asymptomatic young people are unknowingly helping spread the virus to more vulnerable people,” said the Director of Public Health. Barbara Ferrer said. “Vaccination efforts are on track, but if people are not vigilant, they will enter a potentially dangerous time. Use of face masks, physical distance, avoidance of large gatherings, the essence Delaying untargeted travel, especially due to the county’s recent move to the Red Layer and the lifting of restrictions. “

In terms of vaccination, officials said administration at county-operated sites would be restricted to a second dose this week due to supply shortages.

The county crossed the milestone of 3 million doses last week, and its science officials plan to see a dramatic increase in vaccine supply in the hope that it will eventually reach 1 million doses a week. Said that was in progress.

The county is currently capable of administering about 630,000 doses per week, but due to limited supply, it is actually only about 300,000 to 350,000 doses per week. Next week, the county will receive only about 280,000 doses, which will be increased by supplies sent directly to some providers, such as the federal site in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Paul Simon, Chief Scientific Officer of the County Health Department, said Friday that supply would be available by late April or early May, as President Joe Biden predicted, given that vaccination is already underway. The county could move if it increased dramatically, he said. Quite quickly throughout the rest of the population.

“To ensure that we are prepared for this increase, we have begun working with our network of vaccine providers to expand our county-wide vaccination capacity to more than one million times a week,” said Simon. “Recently, President Biden announced that he would open vaccinations to all people over the age of 16 by May 1. We look forward to working with the state to achieve this goal. I will. “

But he also warned, “We are in a dangerous time,” despite advances in vaccination.

“In some parts of Europe and the United States, cases and hospitalizations have recently revived,” he said. “In addition, the spread of viral variants remains a major concern, so keep discipline to adhere to the use of face masks, physical distances, avoidance of large gatherings, and non-essential travel delays. Is essential. “

According to Simon, as of Wednesday, a total dose of 3,234,989 vaccines had been administered in the county, but he admitted that the number could be much higher due to delays in reporting.

Of these doses, 2,177,195 was the first dose (including 25,170 single doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and 1,057,794 was the second dose. This means that approximately 1.08 million people living or working in the county have been fully vaccinated.

Simon said the county would work deeper on vaccination efforts by the time supply increases in late April or early May if vaccination continues at its current pace. If the county started taking up to 1 million times a week, taking large doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single dose would “subsequently quickly reach the general adult population within a month or two. I can handle it. “

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Sunday that local authorities needed to get enough vaccine from the federal government and better target the affected areas in a couple of weeks.

“I’m looking forward to federal regulations releasing handcuffs and targeting people in hotspots. I think it’s probably a couple of weeks away. If that’s possible, our number. But plunged here, with some of the lowest hospitalizations of the year, and if there’s one that happens soon, you can go to the geography of your neighborhood and knock it down before it spreads throughout the city. “Garcetti told CBS. “Face the Nation”

On Friday, the county adjusted its coronavirus resumption guidelines to allow breweries, distilleries, and wineries to reopen for indoor service when food is provided. The county previously allowed outdoor services without food.

According to the County Health Department, under the new guidance, “Wineries, breweries and craft distilleries operate indoors at 25% of their maximum indoor capacity only if the facility sells alcohol in the same trade as a well-meaning meal. I can do it”.

Transplants Brewing in Palmdale sued the county in 2020, claiming that its closure order was discriminated against breweries and similar businesses.

“It’s unclear why the county continues to discriminate against breweries and wineries, but it’s finally understood and we’ve revised the guidelines to allow transplants and other independent businesses to reopen,” said Khail Parris, a lawyer. Says. “These facilities have been hit hardest because they rely on patrons to make a profit, and they barely hold up between the completely inconsistent guidelines provided by the Pandemic and Los Angeles County. It was. “

The move took place at the end of the week as the county moved to the red layer of the state’s reopening framework, with many local businesses reopening and restricted attendance.

Meanwhile, California officials said Saturday that they updated school guidance from kindergarten to high school in line with the updated guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reducing the physical distance between classroom students from the standard 6 feet. Showed that it can be reduced to 3 feet.

Health officials have not yet had the opportunity to discuss the issue, Simon said, but guidance is likely to be incorporated into the county’s school guidelines. However, he emphasized that the 3-foot guidance applies only to schools.

“It’s especially in the classroom,” he said. “So what I don’t want people to do is say,’Well, yeah, 3 feet is virtually anywhere.'” Certainly not. Their guidelines were very specific, 3 feet in elementary, middle and high school classrooms, but everyone always wore face masks and made sure the class was cohort. ”

— City News Service