COVID-19 continues to threaten hospital capacity

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — COVID-19 patients continued flooding Los Angeles County hospitals today, mirroring a regional and statewide surge that threatens to overwhelm emergency departments and intensive-care units.

The dramatic Coronavirus surge — which on Wednesday saw Los Angeles County set daily records for new cases and deaths and overall hospitalizations — has health officials continuing their plea for residents to heed warnings to avoid gatherings and continue social distancing and mask-wearing.

“Based on the science of transmission of COVID-19, the devastation we are experiencing now is due to people who were unknowingly infected with the virus being in close or direct contact with another person or group long enough to infect them,” county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said. “It may have occurred at work or when they traveled or visited with people outside their homes who they don’t live with over the holidays, either here in the county or in another county or another state or another country.

The impact of the virus surge on the emergency medical system was made clear Thursday morning, when the state announced that the 11-county Southern California region had formally reached zero capacity in intensive-care units. The designation does not mean there are no beds available, since the state adjusts the capacity figure based on the ratio of COVID patients occupying ICU space.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, as of Thursday there were only 716 staffed and available beds available at the 70 “911-receiving” hospitals that have emergency departments. Only 92 of those available beds were ICU beds, down from an estimated 102 on Wednesday. County hospitals have an overall licensed capacity of about 2,500 ICU beds, and hospitals have increased staffing to operate roughly that number over the past week.

Last week, county hospitals operated an overall average about 10,360 non-ICU beds per day, based on physical space and available staffing. Overall, hospitals are licensed to operate about 17,000 non-ICU beds, but that number is restricted by the availability of staffing to treat patients.

The county on Thursday reported a total of 4,864 COVID patients in hospitals, up about 200 from the previous day and the highest level of the pandemic. Roughly 20% of those people were in ICU beds, or about 973. The state’s website earlier Thursday listed the county’s COVID hospitalization number at 5,100.

On Thursday, the county Department of Public Health reported 102 additional Coronavirus fatalities, although four of those were actually announced Wednesday by health officials in Long Beach.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said average daily deaths from COVID-19 in the county have spiked up 267% since Nov. 9, reaching 44 per day as of last week, and likely even higher this week given the recent rising death figures.

Another 14,418 infections were confirmed in the county Thursday.

As of Thursday, the following areas reported COVID-19 cases and deaths:

• Palmdale: 11,569 cases and 103 deaths.

• Lancaster: 10,510 cases and 103 deaths (includes cases associated with correctional facility outbreaks).

• Lake Los Angeles: 721 cases and four deaths.

• Quartz Hill: 523 cases and 14 deaths.

• Sun Village: 415 cases and five deaths.

• Littlerock: 242 cases and one death.

• Littlerock/Pearblossom: 224 cases and one death.

• Acton: 192 cases and three deaths.

• Agua Dulce: 91 cases and no deaths.

• Littlerock/Juniper Hills: 51 cases and no deaths.

• Leona Valley: 47 cases and no deaths.

• Pearblossom/Llano: 46 cases and one death.

• Elizabeth Lake: 26 cases and no deaths.

• Llano: 22 cases and no deaths.

• Lake Hughes: 18 cases and no deaths.