“LA County has reached the terrible mark of more than 11,000 deaths due to Covid-19,” said Los Angeles County DPH director Dr. Barbara Ferrer in a statement, while urging all residents to stay home. and follow public health orders. “As a community, we must commit to preventing the spread of Covid-19 on its tracks so that we can save as many lives as possible.”
The pandemic devastated much of the state. On Tuesday, the state reported 368 new deaths from coronavirus – bringing the number of lives lost in the state to 27,000 since the pandemic began. About 2.45 million were infected.
The increase in cases has placed California at the epicenter of the country’s fight against the coronavirus.
The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state reached a dismal record, with more than 22,000 people receiving internal treatment on Tuesday, the state said. About 21% of these patients are in intensive care units.
In Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, ICUs have reached their maximum capacity. In the hope of relieving tension so that patients can continue to receive care, the state has ordered hospitals with 10% or less ICU capacity in these regions to postpone non-essential, life-threatening surgery.
“If we continue to see an alarming increase in COVID-19 patient admissions to hospitals across the state, some facilities may not be able to provide the critical and necessary care that Californians need, whether those patients have COVID-19 or another medical condition, “said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health and state public health officer.
Despite the intensity of the fight against the virus, only 27% of the vaccines distributed reached the Californians.
“Everyone is struggling to get as many vaccinators as possible, while every member of the team is needed to help with the sudden increase,” said Ferrer.
In northern California’s Mendocino County, a broken freezer holding the Modern vaccine forced staff at the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Medical Center to administer all 830 doses in two hours.
“The reality is that we faced a difficult situation and we were not going to let any vaccine go to waste,” hospital CEO Judson Howe told CNN.
But vaccines are only part of the solution to California’s coronavirus crisis, Ferrer said.
“Although vaccines are a powerful tool, we don’t have to wait for vaccines to prevent new cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and death. We can do that now,” said Ferrer in a statement. “It is necessary for each company and each resident to purposely follow public health guidelines and safety measures. Please stay at home and leave only for essential work or services.”
CNN’s Sarah Moon, Stella Chan and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.