:format(png)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gfrmedia/EXC2O34Y4ZCXHOWTAW2R7WZ5WM.jpg)
LOS ANGELES.— Hospitals in California are struggling to find beds for patients, fearing that the rapid increase in coronavirus cases will outweigh the care capacity of medical staff.
On Saturday, nearly 17,400 people were hospitalized for confirmed or probable COVID-19 infections, more than double the July high, while a state model based on current statistical projects could reach 75,000 by mid-January.
More than 3,600 confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients were in intensive care. All of Southern California and the 12-county San Joaquin Valley in the north have virtually no intensive care units, and some hospitals that are out of capacity have begun to use so-called ‘surge’ space.
Overall, the capacity of intensive care units in the state was only 2% on Saturday.
Due to the sheer number of cases in the past six weeks, the death toll in California is on the rise. A further 272 deaths were reported on Saturday and nearly 1,600 in the past week.
In Los Angeles County, one of the hardest hit by the disease, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer begged people to stay at home as much as possible, not meet other people outside the home, and wear a mask, and respect social distance.
“Places where people from different households congregate and fail to follow safety instructions contribute to an unnecessary spread of COVID-19, resulting in hospitalizations and preventable deaths,” he added. “Respecting security measures saves lives and is the only way to protect vital workers and our hospitals.”
Los Angeles County health authorities announced on Saturday that they have amended their sanitary regulations to comply with recent federal Supreme Court rulings permitting the holding of religious services inside and outside temples provided precautions are followed. adequate sanitary facilities.
Saturday evening, Apple Inc. the temporary closure of all of its 53 stores in California due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to the stay-at-home order in effect in most of the state, stores have cut their capacity to 20%.
At a time when facilities are grappling with what would otherwise be an intense year-end shopping season, many hospitals are facing potential rationing of medical care.
A recent paper distributed to doctors at four Los Angeles County-run hospitals asks doctors to change their strategy: instead of trying to save a life, their goal during the crisis is to save as many patients as possible . possible. This implies that patients with the least chance of survival in normal times do not receive the care provided.
“It is inevitable that the normal level of care will be somewhat compromised; it is not that an entity, system or place chooses to limit resources, it happens that there are clearly no resources available to provide regular care, ”the document obtained by the Los Angeles Times said.