'The end is not yet in sight': Coronavirus danger remains even as some metrics improve, L.A. County says - Los Angeles Times

Despite some promising signs that the worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may finally be receding, a top Los Angeles County health official warned Wednesday that the situation remains precarious, with thousands more people becoming infected every day and an unsustainable number of patients requiring hospital treatment.

“The end is not yet in sight,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

Though the county has recently seen welcome downticks in the number of coronavirus-positive patients in its hospitals, as well as the daily infection rate, Ferrer emphasized that “COVID-19 is still rampant at our workplaces, in our neighborhoods and, really, across every corner of this county.”.

More contagious COVID-19 variants bring new uncertainties to California.

More contagious COVID-19 variants bring new uncertainties to California.

On Tuesday in Los Angeles County, those 65 and older began signing up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

There were 7,263 coronavirus-positive patients hospitalized countywide Tuesday, according to the latest available state data, which is down about 10% from the record high of 8,098 set on Jan.

The number of COVID patients requiring intensive care, however, has remained relatively flat over that same period — falling to 1,692 on Tuesday, down just 2% from the record high of 1,731 set on Jan.

The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, including cases, deaths, closures and restrictions.

Though the decrease in total hospitalizations is “bringing some much-needed relief,” Ferrer said, “it’s nowhere near the number that we need to get down to, to really avoid all of the changes that needed to be made at hospitals to accommodate” the crush of patients.

While it appears less severe than the post-Thanksgiving surge, Ferrer said she doesn’t believe “we dodged a bullet because our hospitals are still overwhelmed, and I think we did still see some increase in cases from the holiday season.”.

Five large-scale vaccination sites opened across Los Angeles County on Tuesday.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide has also tumbled, and on Tuesday it fell below 20,000 for the first time since Dec.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs statewide crested Jan.

Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, said the state “didn’t see as significant of a bump over the Christmas and New Year holidays” as expected and, though there could still be some variance, officials are hopeful the number will continue to trend downward.

“Hopefully, by the end of the month, we’re even lower than the number that we see here,” he said Tuesday.

More contagious COVID-19 variants bring new uncertainties to California

More contagious COVID-19 variants bring new uncertainties to California

California had been recording as many as 534 COVID-19 deaths a day on a weekly basis in early January; by Wednesday, the state was recording 485 deaths a day over the past week

County in early January topped out at 241 COVID-19 deaths a day; the county as of Wednesday was averaging 206 deaths a day

While the state is now seeing “that glimmer of hope, that bright light,” Ghaly said that California, at this point, is “still in the tunnel but, hopefully, through the darkest part.”

There are two variants circulating in the state that officials are watching: a variant first identified in Britain, B.1.1.7, which is believed to be 50% more transmissible; and a variant first identified in Denmark, L452R, which officials are concerned may be more transmissible but requires additional study to determine if that’s the case

that more cases eventually leads to more deaths,” Ferrer said