California infection and hospitalization rates drop, but vaccine launch hits – NBC Los Angeles

After a lethal increase in coronavirus for several months, California is beginning to see rates of infection and hospitalization drop even as the state struggles to intensify a chaotic vaccination program and warns people to stay on guard.

The number of new virus cases reported on Tuesday was just over 12,000, the lowest daily figure since November. At the beginning of January, the daily number was over 40,000.

The capacity of the hospital increases after it fell so low in December that the overwhelmed facilities talked about streamlined care. If current trends continue, the number of patients at COVID-19 Hospital will halve by early March, Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said on Tuesday.

The Biden administration said it would increase the distribution of vaccines and use pharmacies directly. Patrick Healy reported to NBC4 News on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.

Another landmark is the capacity of intensive care units. Most counties received residence orders in December. Southern California – the most populous and affected of the five state-designated regions – has depleted its regular ICU beds and remained at 0% capacity until January.

But in just over three weeks, the number of patients with intensive care at the state level has dropped from a record of nearly 4,900 to about 3,800, and all state orders at home have been raised.

The state expects that in four weeks the Southern California region could see its ICU capacity reach 44%.

California has seen more than 41,000 deaths – just behind New York among the states – but even that rate may begin to slow. After an average of 544 daily deaths last week, the last three daily counts averaged 371 deaths.

However, Ghaly said that the rates of COVID-19 cases “have decreased, but they are not low”.

The Southern California championship season following the World Series victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the NBA crown for the Lakers last fall marked the beginning of growth, which peaked in January before beginning a sharp decline.

“The chance for new growth in California is real” if people let go or if virus mutations become prevalent, Ghaly said.

He urged people not to gather on Sunday for the big Super Bowl holidays, which could become “super-spreading” events.

“Try to share as little as you can, except for cheers,” he said. “Don’t grope that.”

The state is also taking a series of steps to prepare for the possibility of a fourth wave. It maintains a command that accelerates patient transfers between medical facilities, continuing to bring in health workers and helping hospitals ensure they have enough oxygen for patients with respiratory illnesses, Ghaly said.

Meanwhile, the state of nearly 40 million residents is working to smooth out a rugged release of COVID-19 vaccines, marked by too few doses and different county rules for those who were immediately eligible to receive them.

Ghaly said the state has administered more than 3.5 million doses of vaccine, significantly increasing the daily number of vaccines it has been administering a few weeks ago, Ghaly said.

The Biden administration has pledged to step up delivery, and on Tuesday, CVS pharmacies announced that it will begin inoculating people in some stores in California next week.

But California is still lagging behind other U.S. states in vaccinations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and desperate residents are reporting problems trying to schedule a meeting, while state officials are trying to create a system that to protect the most vulnerable.

Officials made the big announcement last week that the state is creating a new centralized vaccine distribution system run by Blue Shield, the insurance giant. But a letter of intent signed by the state and the company on Monday shows that the specifics of the program are still under development, even though state officials said they hope to move to the new system in mid-February.

The state has authorized health workers, teachers, employees in the food and agricultural industries, other nurses and people aged 65 and over to be inoculated. In a surprising move last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the next state would move to an age-based system, revolting, among other things, people with disabilities who had been earlier.

The Newsom administration “gives up on its promise to make sure our community is safe,” said Judy Mark, president of Disability Voices United.

“What they are saying is that they are willing to protect all people and caregivers around people with disabilities, but not people with disabilities,” she said.

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Amy Taxin of Orange County, Janie Har of San Francisco and Kathleen Ronayne of Sacramento contributed to this report.