LA County reports 53 more COVID-related deaths, 43,883 new cases – Orange County Register
Los Angeles County reported 43,883 new COVID-19 cases and 53 more coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, January 16, with numbers likely to reflect reporting delays over the weekend. .
The number of COVID patients at county hospitals rose to 4,507, up from 4,386 on Saturday, according to the latest state figures released Sunday. The number of patients in intensive care rose to 622, up 20 from Saturday’s total.
The latest figures come a day after the county reported 66 virus-related deaths – the number of deaths reported in a single day as of April 2, 2021.
“The unusually high number of new cases reflects a worrying rate of community transmission,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Saturday.
Many coronavirus patients enter hospitals for other reasons and only find out they have COVID after a mandatory screening, but the spike in numbers is putting a strain on hospitals, with many nurses and staff Another member was not present due to the pandemic.
Overall, the number of COVID patients is still much lower than the number seen last winter, when the number reached 8,000.
Health officials advise people to avoid going to emergency rooms unless absolutely necessary, and not to go to emergency rooms to get tested for COVID.
“As the number of deaths often lags behind the increase in cases and hospitalizations, sadly, the increase in deaths is not unexpected and tragic, we were prepared for Deaths will be even higher in the coming weeks,” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Saturday. “With unvaccinated people 22 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than fully immunized individuals, people should not delay vaccination and boost as these measures are saving lives.” living.”
Ferrer also advised people to avoid hazardous activities in the coming weeks, especially those that stay indoors and socialize with people who are unvaccinated or at higher risk. She also stressed that while the Omicron variant is capable of easily infecting vaccinated people, the shots are still proving effective in preventing infected people from being hospitalized.
She urged people to get vaccinated and get booster shots; wear an upgraded mask like the N95, KN95 or KF94; and tested, said the county has significantly expanded its testing capacity after a shortage two weeks ago led to long queues at some testing centers.
As of Friday, more than 80% of all adult ICU beds in the county were filled.
Los Angeles County has recorded 2,257,502 cases of COVID-19 and 28,059 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
More than 10,630,000 individuals have been tested during the pandemic, with 20% of those testing positive to date. The daily average of people testing positive for the virus was 17.3% on Sunday.
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/01/16/la-county-reports-53-more-covid-linked-deaths-43883-new-cases/ LA County reports 53 more COVID-related deaths, 43,883 new cases – Orange County Register
