The coronavirus continues to spread throughout Los Angeles County, infecting thousands of people every day and attacking hospitals already filled with a flood of new patients – a devastating double blow with deadly consequences.
The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 wave represent “the worst disaster that our country has experienced in decades”, according to Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer, “and, as in other dire situations, the end of this wave only happens when more people and more companies take over and do the right thing. ”
Over the past week, an average of more than 200 angelenos have died every day from COVID-19 – a rate that has pushed the county’s cumulative number to more than 12,000.
Behind these dire data, however, are the people whose losses affect their families, their workplaces and their wider communities, officials noted.
“To die of COVID in the hospital means to die alone,” said LA County supervisor Hilda Solis. “Visitors are not allowed in hospitals for their own safety. Families are sharing their last goodbyes on tablets and cell phones. “
In some cases, Solis said, the last words that the dying hear are the youngest members of the family apologizing for exposing them to the virus.
After weeks of rapid increase, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the county has recently stabilized at just under 8,000.
While the plateau is welcome, officials warn that it is too early to declare the worst of the increase. The full ramifications of the recent holiday season have yet to be seen, and any increase in the number of new infections will invariably trigger a corresponding increase in hospitalizations.
This is a bleak possibility, given the stress that health systems are already experiencing. Facing the pressing need, some municipal hospitals had to create beds in corridors or gift shops to accommodate the multitude of coronavirus-positive patients. In some cases, ambulances wait hours to unload patients in crowded emergency rooms.
Systems designed to deliver vital oxygen have been pressed to the breaking point. Problems on December 27 with the hospital’s oxygen systems caused five hospitals in LA County to declare an “internal disaster”, which allows a facility to close its emergency room for all ambulance traffic.
“Hospitals are on the verge of screening for care, which means that decisions will have to be made about who can access scarce resources,” said Solis.
“The situation,” she emphasized, “is more dire than ever.”
In the past week, authorities have reported an average of 14,518 new cases of coronavirus per day – the equivalent of 10 Angelenos who test positive every minute, according to data compiled by The Times.
And officials are still preparing to see how many trips and meetings during the recent holidays may have aggravated the broadcast.
“This is the time to be extremely cautious and careful,” said Ferrer during a meeting on Monday. “We cannot alleviate our efforts just yet – not now, and not in the coming weeks.”
With coronavirus so widespread, officials said it is more important than ever for residents to keep guard, keep physical distance from people they don’t live with and wear masks when in public to reduce the risk of transmission.
“The biggest factor in all of this comes down to individuals taking appropriate action, taking personal action,” said Ferrer. “We really just need everyone to do the right thing to protect each other, so we stop the broadcast that is now taking place in epic proportions.”