LA County reports reduced COVID-19 hospitalization – NBC Los Angeles

Los Angeles County reported 443 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 additional deaths on Saturday.

According to state statistics, the number of patients with coronavirus in county hospitals decreased from 453 to 443, and the number of patients in the intensive care unit decreased from 106 to 101.

According to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, Saturday numbers have resulted in a total of 1,231,163 cases and 23,775 deaths in the county since the pandemic began.

“This virus has long caused havoc and pain in our county, but we now have a way to end the pandemic,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. Get vaccinated, check information on vaccine safety and book as soon as possible. By doing so, you will be able to protect yourself and, equally importantly, keep yourself healthy and support your loved ones. “

People over the age of 16 who live or work in Los Angeles County have reminded the public that they can be vaccinated without reservation at all county-operated vaccination sites for the duration of the supply. (Children 16 and 17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Registration for the COVID-19 appointment is completed onsite.

This is a major change from the early days of vaccination, which was under-reserved.

County officials also said they would resume administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and provide the necessary warning material for rare cases of blood clots.

The county’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Paul Simon, told reporters at an online briefing on Friday that the county has about 13,000 J & J vaccines, plus 25,000 for other providers such as pharmacies and health centers. Said it may be owned by. Get vaccinated directly from the state or federal government.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be available with a warning label shortly after being “paused” in rare cases of thrombosis or death. Beverly White reports on April 23, 2021 at 11:00 pm.

An advisory board at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the J & J vaccine re-enter the circulation on Friday, with potentially dangerous blood clots occurring in 15 of the approximately 7 million doses given nationwide. Warned about. Earlier this month, he urged the vaccine to be withheld.

Within hours, the Commission’s recommendations were adopted by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, clarifying how to resume vaccination.

“We are developing, or at least currently completing, the materials used for our clients and providers, and we can move forward,” said Simon.

Simon said on Friday afternoon that the county could resume serving shots within a day or two. By Friday evening, the county’s Public Health Service announced that local vaccine providers could resume using J & J Shots as long as they provided recipients with an up-to-date “fact sheet” that provided information about blood clots. ..

Simon continued to promote vaccine safety, noting that the incidence of blood clotting cases that had to be withheld 10 days ago was low. He called it an “excellent vaccine.”

“This side effect seems to be very rare and we feel that we should not hesitate on the part of those receiving the J & J vaccine,” he said.

There was concern that news of blood clots that stopped the use of vaccines could lead to public hesitation about vaccination. Although its impact is difficult to measure, Los Angeles County is seeing fewer people making reservations at several vaccination sites.

Simon said that some county sites are still seeing their appointments fill up quickly, while others are not, especially in Antelope Valley.

“We are watching this very carefully,” Simon said. “Increasing vaccination rates across the county’s population will increase the number of unvaccinated reservoirs that will become less and less interested in vaccination, and the group will include a wide range of people. I think there is a hard nose …. I don’t think it’s a big percentage, but there’s one in that camp, and there’s another that I consider a softer nose. It’s now. Is no, but otherwise you may be persuaded. “”

He said that the slowdown in the pace of people making reservations could be due to a variety of factors, including the recent declining trend in the number of COVID cases that may make people believe that shots are not needed, and potentially more people. Is a source other than other counties, such as pharmacies.

“We have already vaccinated that part of the population that desperately wanted to be vaccinated,” he said. “I was in a hurry early on. Others were willing to wait a bit, but I still felt that vaccination was really important, so I worked hard to make an early appointment. And now we’re slipping into the rest of the group of people who aren’t sure if there’s a level of hesitation or reluctance and need more information. “

Until Monday, walk-up vaccinations are available at:
-Palmdale Oasis Recreation Center, 3850E. Avenue S;
-Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood;
–Balboa Sports Complex, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino;
-Canyons University, 25000 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita;
–Cal State Northridge, 18343 Plummer St. ;
-Eugene of Legon Park, 4021 E. First Street, Los Angeles;
–Pomona Fairplex, 2370 E. Arrow Highway, Gate 15; and
-LA County Education Department, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey.