Los Angeles County officials said Sunday that appointments are available this week at the five major coronavirus vaccination centers in Magic Mountain County, Pomona Fairplex, Cal State Northridge, Inglewood Forum and Downey County Board of Education.
Appointments can be booked at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm.
Residents receiving the first dose of vaccine at a high-capacity, county-administered vaccination site will be given the date and location to receive the second dose and will be automatically registered for the second dose. They will also receive email reminders.
On Sunday, the county reported 8,243 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 additional deaths, bringing the county’s totals to 1,073,111 cases and 15,260 deaths.
6,697 people with COVID-19 have been hospitalized in the county since Sunday, down from 6,881 the day before. This number peaked at over 8,000 earlier this year.
But while this number is declining, health care workers and intensive care capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region continuing to have 0% of available intensive care space and remaining under the order of regional residence at home.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials have called for patience among people eager to receive COVID-19 vaccination, with consumables remaining extremely short and the online booking system overloaded, leaving many people frustrated as they try to schedule meetings.
“We are also seeing a decrease in hospitalizations and a few other indicators we are following, including the rate of test positivity, the percentage of visits to the emergency services associated with COVID-19 and the percentage of COVID-positive respiratory samples at laboratory surveillance sites. sentinel “, said Dr. Paul Simon, head of science of the department.
“However, despite these promising trends, I want to emphasize that the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains far too high,” he said. disciplined, wearing masks, physically distancing himself from the house, avoiding gatherings, and frequently washing our hands. “
Simon said the five sites – each capable of managing 4,000 photos a day – will run at a much lower capacity this week, probably between 2,000 and 2,500.
The county expects to receive about 143,900 additional doses of vaccine this week. However, since people need to receive two doses of the drug three to four weeks apart, most of the vaccine coming this week will be used to give the second dose to people who have already received the first coup. Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer estimated earlier that only 37,900 of the new doses would be available for people to receive their first dose.
Simon said on Friday that the latest figures showed that 441,140 doses of vaccine had already been administered in the county, although he said the number was probably much higher due to delays in calculating total vaccinations. As of this week, the county had received approximately 853,000 total doses.
Simon said people should not look at these numbers and assume there are 400,000 unused doses in the county, again noticing the gap in vaccination reports and daily dose administration. If the county’s weekly allocation doesn’t improve dramatically above the current average of about 150,000, “the vaccination effort is likely to expand by 2022,” Simon said.
He said that if the county could get its allocation increased to 500,000 per week, “we would have the potential to reach 75% of the adult population in the county, or 6 million adults, by mid-summer.”
Meanwhile, he urged patience, saying: “We understand how important it is to get the vaccine out as soon as possible.”
He said the state is updating its vaccine appointment website, to which the county system is linked, so it should work easier this week.
The county also has an on-call reservation system, which is available from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at 833-540-0473. But this line should only be used by people who can’t use the website because the volume of calls is already extremely high, Simon said.
On Saturday, the health department confirmed 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases of coronavirus.
The wave of COVID-19 that started around Thanksgiving and continued until the New Year seems to be diminishing. The focus is now on vaccinating people, but there is a shortage of doses across the country and even in LA County. Michelle Valles reports for NBC4 News on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
Currently there were 6,881 people with COVID-19 hospitalized, and 24% are in the IU. It is the first time since December 29 that daily hospitalizations have dropped to less than 7,000 patients. But while this number is declining, health care workers and intensive care capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region continuing to have 0% of intensive care space available and remaining under the order of regional residence at home.
Eight new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have also been reported. This brings the total number of MIS-C cases in LA County to 62 children, one of whom died. All 62 were hospitalized and 45% were treated in the ICU. Among children with MIS-C, 31% were under 5 years of age; 37% had between 5 and 11; and 32% had between 12 and 20. Latino / latinx children accounted for almost 74% of reported cases.
MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19. Symptoms include fever that does not go away and swollen parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. If you think your child has symptoms of MIS-C, contact your primary care or emergency care provider. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you do not have a primary care provider, dial 211 and LA County will help you connect to one.
Also Sunday, officials announced the planned opening of a COVID-19 pop-up test site at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 6364 Zindell Ave. in trade. The site will open on Tuesday.
The tests are free and no proof of medical insurance is required. All on-site tests will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. after January 26-30.