California is considering quarantine protocols for people returning from the UK as a result of the new COVID-19 strain that has emerged there – as the state prepares for a gloomy Christmas, with hospitalizations rising 600% in two months.
It comes after British Airways and Delta said passengers must show negative results before boarding the flight to New York, under pressure from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he hopes the federal government will take action and quarantine travelers after 40 countries around the world banned travel from the UK in an attempt to stop the new mutant variant of the virus.
The state is already battling an increase in COVID-19, with doctors fearing that California is on its way to becoming the former COVID-19 epicenter in New York.
Currently, 16,843 patients are being treated across the country for COVID-19 and 3,614 of them are in intensive care, according to the latest data from the state health department.
Just two months ago, there were a total of 2,291 patients, including 657 in intensive care.
The number of people hospitalized is now more than double the previous peak in the state, reached in July, and a state model predicts that the total could reach 75,000 patients by mid-January.
As of Sunday, ICU capacity was zero percent in the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley region.
Los Angeles County currently has the most hospitalizations in the state with 5,709 patients with COVID-19.
Currently, 16,843 patients are being treated in California for COVID-19. Pictured above is a sorting tent set up outside the Providence St. Medical Center on Friday. Mary from Apple Valley, California
Currently, 16,843 patients are being treated nationwide for COVID-19 and 3,614 of them are in intensive care, according to the latest data from the state health department.
– We’ll be in New York with piles of bodies. It would not be surprising if LA sounds like the COVID capital of the world in the new year, “an unnamed doctor told the LA Times.
“I don’t know how many ways to explain to people to isolate themselves and stay home, other than to bring a room to the ICU and (the emergency department) to show them the misery of what we’re going through.”
The seven-day rolling average of deaths is currently at a record 232 per day, with the total number of deaths now just over 22,500.
In comparison, the average seven-day death toll in New York State is 117 per day. At the height of the state outbreak in April, average daily deaths rose to an average of 750.
The death toll in New York State is currently 28,600.
As COVID-19’s growing cases swamp California hospitals and strain medical staff, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is returning to a preventive coronavirus quarantine for the second time in two months.
Overcrowded state hospitals are setting up makeshift extra beds for COVID-19 patients, and a handful of severely affected facilities in Los Angeles County are developing contingency plans if they need to limit the number of people receiving life-saving care.
The seven-day rolling average of deaths is currently at a record 232 per day, with the total number of deaths now just over 22,500.
The average seven-day case in California is now at 43,000 a day. The state has a total of 1.8 million infections so far in the entire pandemic
The director of health services in Los Angeles County, Dr. Christina Ghaly, said that the rationing plans are not yet in place, but must be established because “the worst is yet to come.”
While vaccine deliveries are being made to many health workers and nursing homes across the country, it could be months before the photos become available to the general public.
Until then, four hospitals run by Los Angeles County are weighing what to do if they can’t treat everyone because of a lack of beds or staff.
A recent document released by doctors at the four hospitals suggested that instead of trying to save every life, their goal could be to rescue as many patients as possible – meaning that those least likely to survive will not receive the same type of care.
“One compromise of the standard of care is inevitable; it is not about an entity, system or locality choosing to limit resources, but it is clear that resources are not clearly available to provide care on a regular basis, ‘the Los Angeles Times document said.
Many hospitals in California have already implemented emergency procedures to expand staff and space.
All but one of California’s regions are currently under home control, which is affected by 39 million people.
Clinicians evaluate a patient in a sorting tent set up outside the Providence St. Medical Center. Mary from Apple Valley last Friday
California increased its supply of body bags by 5,000 last week and put 60 refrigerated trucks on hold, according to Gov. Newsom. One of the trucks was seen on Tuesday in front of a state hospital
The Corona Regional Medical Center, southeast of Los Angeles, has transformed an old emergency room to handle nearly double the usual number of intensive care patients. It also uses two disaster tents to sort patients urgently.
Some hospitals have canceled non-essential elective surgeries, such as hip replacement, which could occupy beds that may soon be needed for COVID-19 patients.
Nurses say overcoming cases means they have less time to spend with patients, many of whom are sicker than they have ever been.
“The more patients we have, the more likely we are to make a mistake, especially if we’re in a hurry,” said Wendy Macedo, a nurse at UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center.
“Obviously, we’re trying to avoid this, but we’re just human.”
California is facing “some of the darkest days of COVID-19 growth,” said Governor Gavin Newsom, but it was an easy Sunday as a group of scientists and experts backed a vaccine developed by Moderna.
In comparison, the average seven-day death toll in New York State is 117 per day. At the height of the state outbreak in April, average daily deaths rose to an average of 750
New York State, which was the initial epicenter of the US outbreak, recorded 804,000 cases
The move paves the way for the drug to be distributed in California and other Western states that have examined it separately from the Food and Drug Administration.
But with vaccinations in limited quantities until spring or summer, political leaders are urging people to stay home and wear masks.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked airlines flying to his home state of the United Kingdom to have all passengers take a coronavirus test before boarding a new strain of COVID-19 that has been detected there.
British Airways has agreed to apply negative COVID-19 tests before passengers fly to New York.
It is not yet clear whether this will be a requirement for passengers traveling from the UK to Los Angeles.
Currently, those who come to California from other countries, or even from outside the state, have to isolate themselves for 14 days.
People flying into LAX must fill out an online form to say they recognize the quarantine measures.