As COVID Cases Rise, ICU’s Could Fill Up in 2-4 Weeks In LA County

Los Angeles County health officials say intensive care units could fill up in the next two to four weeks, as the spread of the coronavirus increases.

The health services department’s Dr. Christina Ghaly said Wednesday that data suggests the transmission rate of the coronavirus has slightly gone up since the relaxation of stay-at-home orders.

“If transmission has indeed increased, as the recent data suggests it has, the model predicts that we'll have a continued increase in hospital patient volume,” Ghaly said.

(L.A. County Department of Health Services)

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Ghaly said the county’s modeling doesn’t make predictions based on estimates on how many people are outside of their homes, like at protests or at recently reopened businesses. Instead, it’s based on hospitalization and case data.

The Department of Health Services says it’s working with area hospitals to prepare for a surge, including reducing elective surgeries.

Dr. Stephanie Hall, chief medical officer at Keck Hospital of USC, says the hospital has plans that can be activated quickly, including converting units to serve COVID-19 patients.

“Our best approach is continuing the daily monitoring very carefully and being resilient to be able to switch into a mode, if we need to, that is more of a crisis mode versus ‘back to normal,” she said.

LA COUNTY TRENDS

Here's a look at longer-term trends in the county. To see more visit our California COVID-19 Tracker and choose L.A. or any other California county that interests you. These numbers are current as of Wednesday, June 10:

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READ MORE:

• Hospitals Resume Scheduled Surgeries, But Closely Watch For 2nd Surge
• Diary From The Coronavirus Frontlines: An ER Doctor Recovers

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