Los Angeles County officials said on Sunday that consultations were available this week at the five major county coronavirus vaccination centers in Magic Mountain, Pomona Fairplex, Cal State Northridge, the Forum in Inglewood and the County Office of Education in Downey .
Appointments can be booked at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm.
Residents who receive the first dose of the vaccine at a large-capacity vaccination site administered by the county will be given the date and place to receive the second dose and will be automatically registered for the second dose. They will also receive email reminders.
On Sunday, the county reported 8,243 new COVID-19 cases and 98 additional deaths, bringing the county total to 1,073,111 cases and 15,260 deaths.
There were 6,697 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in the county on Sunday, against 6,881 the day before. That number peaked at more than 8,000 earlier this year.
But while that number is low, health care professionals and ICU capacity remain overwhelmed, with Southern California continuing to have 0% of ICU space available and remaining under the regional order of stay at home.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials have been asking for patience among residents eager to get the COVID-19 vaccination, with extremely scarce supplies and an overburdened online reservation system leaving many people frustrated while trying to schedule appointments.
“We are also seeing a decline in hospitalizations and a number of other indicators that we track, including the positive test rate, percentage of visits to the emergency department associated with COVID-19, and percentage of COVID-positive respiratory samples at sentinel laboratory surveillance sites.” , said Dr. Paul Simon, the Department’s science director.
“However, despite these promising trends, I want to emphasize that the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains very high,” he said. “So while there is reason to hope, we should all remain vigilant and continue to be disciplined, using masks, physically distancing yourself away from home, avoiding meetings and washing your hands frequently. “
Simon said the five sites – each capable of delivering 4,000 doses per day – will be operating at much less capacity this week, probably in the range of 2,000 to 2,500.
The municipality expects to receive about 143,900 more doses of the vaccine this week. However, as people need to receive two doses of the drug, three to four weeks apart, most of the vaccine that will arrive this week will be used to give second doses to people who have already received their first injection. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer previously estimated that only 37,900 of the new doses will be available for people to receive their first dose.
Simon said on Friday that the latest figures show that 441,140 doses of the vaccine have already been administered in the county, although he said that number is probably much higher due to delays in counting vaccination totals. As of this week, the county had received about 853,000 doses in total.
Simon said people should not look at these numbers and assume that there are 400,000 unused doses in the county, noting again the delay in vaccination reports and daily dose administration. If the county’s weekly distribution does not improve dramatically beyond the current average of around 150,000, “the vaccination effort is likely to extend into 2022,” said Simon.
He said that if the county managed to increase its allocation to 500,000 a week, “we would have the potential to reach 75% of the county’s adult population, or 6 million adults, by mid-summer.”
In the meantime, he asked for patience, saying: “We understand how important it is to distribute the vaccine as soon as possible.”
He said the state is updating its vaccine appointment website, to which the county system is linked, so it should operate more smoothly this week.
The county also has a call reservation system, which is available from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm by calling 833-540-0473. But that line should only be used by people who cannot use the site, since the volume of calls is already exceedingly high, said Simon.
On Saturday, the health department confirmed 269 new deaths and 10,537 new coronavirus cases.
The wave of COVID-19 that started around Thanksgiving and continued through the New Year seems to be stabilizing. The focus now is on vaccinating people, but there is a shortage of doses across the country and even in LA County. Michelle Valles reports to NBC4 News on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
There were 6,881 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, and 24% are in the ICU. This is the first time since December 29 that daily hospitalizations have decreased to less than 7,000 patients. But while that number is low, health care professionals and ICU capacity remain overwhelmed, with Southern California continuing to have 0% of ICU space available and remaining under the regional order of stay at home.
Eight new cases of multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have also been reported. This brings the total number of MIS-C cases in LA County to 62 children, one of whom died. All 62 were hospitalized and 45% were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under 5 years old; 37% were between 5 and 11 years old; and 32% were between 12 and 20 years old. Latin / Latinx children account for almost 74% of reported cases.
MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19. Symptoms include fever that does not go away and inflamed body parts, including heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. If you believe your child is experiencing symptoms of MIS-C, contact your doctor or urgent care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you don’t have a primary care provider, dial 211 and LA County will help connect you to one.
Also on Sunday, authorities announced the planned opening of a pop-up site for COVID-19 tests at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 6364 Zindell Ave. in Commerce. The website will open on Tuesday.
The exams are free and no proof of medical insurance is required. All on-site testing will be performed from 10 am to 4 pm from January 26 to 30.