The Los Angeles Times reports that in the last 24 days, Los Angeles County has seen over 5,000 COVID-related deaths, showing an exponential rise in the death rate. In the nine months or so from the first recorded death in the county on March 11 to the end of last year, a little over 10,000 people died. In the first 24 days of the new year, 5,106 people have died.
Nearly 7,000 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized in the county, with 24% needing intensive care. However, in all of Southern California, the hospital ICU capacity is zero.
NBC Los Angeles reports that although the county has prioritized vaccinations for those 65 years and older, they only have enough doses for one week (50,000). The County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer was quoted as saying Jan. 20: “One of the issues that everyone has had around the allocation and distribution from the federal government is it has been week-to-week, which makes it difficult for our sites to do a lot of planning, and it really makes it difficult to extend appointments beyond a few days, which makes it hard on the public.”
