Los Angeles public health officials are advising that all essential workers across the county should wear masks inside their own homes to prevent the spread of coronavirus inside the home, as hospitalizations and deaths continue at alarming rates.
Authorities are calling it the “worst disaster” the county has experienced in decades.
“At the moment, as there is so much dissemination, we recommend that people wear facial covers while they are indoors. This will add a layer of protection as we overcome this wave,” said Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference at Monday.
“We strongly recommend that you keep your face covered if you are a worker who is going out every day or in fact if you are someone who has to take care of essential tasks in your family,” added Ferrer.
Outbreak in cases: Los Angeles reported 12,617 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the county to 932,697. An additional 137 deaths were reported, increasing the total number of deaths to 12,387.
Deaths increasing by 1,000%: In the past seven days, the county has reported more than 1,500 Covid-related deaths, according to the most recent health data. Since the increase began in November, LA County has seen deaths increase by more than 1,000%.
Depleted hospital resources: Almost 8,000 people are currently hospitalized, while authorities continue to solve infrastructure problems, such as low oxygen supply, limited personnel resources and limited bed availability. There are 650 hospital beds and 46 ICU beds available across the county as of Monday afternoon, officials said.
Ten people test positive every minute: Ferrer said that, on an average minute, 10 people in LA County have tested positive for Covid-19. “The damaging impact for our families and local hospitals of this increase is the worst disaster that our county has experienced in decades,” she said.
Vaccines: Despite the tragic loss of life, vaccines are arriving throughout the community, said Ferrer. Hospitals in Los Angeles received 220,000 doses of vaccine and about 160,000 frontline health workers were vaccinated. Hospitals started providing second doses to their eligible employees last week and more than 22,000 health workers are now fully vaccinated.
Vaccination sites: There are more than 75 vaccination sites in Los Angeles that have been established to help facilitate the vaccine for individuals within the state’s current phase 1A level, where mainly non-hospital workers and unqualified health workers in nursing units are being immunized. About 20 vaccination sites are currently open to frontline health workers and at least five more are expected to open in the near future.