Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Southern California Has Run Out Of ICU Beds For Coronavirus Patients
Clinicians work after manually proning a COVID-19 patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Sharp Grossmont Hospital on Dec. 14 in La Mesa. At the time, state ICU capacity was .5%. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
()
Southern California's intensive care unit capacity has hit a critical point as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the region continue to climb.
ICU availability to treat the sickest coronavirus patients is now at 0% in the 11 counties that make up Southern California.
While that doesn't mean there are no open beds, officials say they have to keep space open for non-COVID patients, too. L.A. County, home to more than 10 million residents, reported fewer than 100 ICU beds available on Thursday. That number went down again on Friday.
In the release of the daily numbers on Friday, county health officials noted that:
Support for LAist comes from
COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to accelerate at alarming speed. Of the 5,100 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, 20% of these people are in the ICU. Today's number reflects an increase of nearly 1,500 patients in just one week; on December 11, the daily number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 3,624.
Meanwhile, hundreds of frontline health care workers have been vaccinated since the Pfizer vaccine arrived in L.A. County earlier this week but thousands more are still waiting.
Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the county's Department of Public Health, says herd immunity against the virus is the ultimate goal. However, it will take many months to get through the first stages of priority vaccinations before the vaccine is widely available to the general public.
"Unfortunately we're still a long way away from that. While we're very excited about the vaccine availability and rollout, we in no way want to communicate the message that the vaccine will save us," Simon says.
Public health officials yesterday recorded more than 21,000 new COVID-19 cases, the highest ever single-day number of confirmed cases.
Numbers released Thursday were less, but still high:
COVID-19 Daily Update:
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 18, 2020
December 17, 2020
New Cases: 14,418 (580,325 to date)
New Deaths: 102 (8,664 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 4,864 pic.twitter.com/HL1loxYbT2
Support for LAist comes from
And new cases went up again Friday:
COVID-19 Daily Update:
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 19, 2020
December 18, 2020
New Cases: 16,504 (596,721 to date)
New Deaths: 96 (8,757 to date)
Current Hospitalizations: 5,100 pic.twitter.com/OGrgZf1u6J
MORE COVERAGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS SURGE:
- Why Are Film Shoots Allowed When Outdoor Dining Isn't?
- Frontline Workers' Unions Want To Shut Everything Down For A Month To Stop This COVID-19 Surge
- Excitement at UC Irvine Med Center As First OC Health Workers Get Vaccinated
- Orange County's EMS Director Orders Overflowing ER's To Stop Sending Ambulances Elsewhere, If At All Possible
OVERALL LOOK AT LA COUNTY NUMBERS:
Here's a look at longer-term trends in the county. To see more, visit our California COVID-19 Tracker and choose L.A. County or any other California county that interests you. These numbers are current as of Thursday, Dec. 17.
()
Support for LAist comes from
()
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist