Los Angeles public health officials recommend that all essential workers across the country wear masks inside their homes to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the household, as hospitalizations and deaths continue at alarming rates.
Officials call it “the worst disaster” experienced in the county in recent decades.
“Right now, because there is so much spread, we recommend that people wear face coverings while inside the house. A layer of protection will be added as we go through this growth,” said Public Health Director Dr Barbara Ferrer told a news conference Monday.
“We recommend that you keep your face covered if you are a worker who leaves every day or, in fact, you are someone who has to do the essential tasks in your family,” Ferrer added.
It arises in cases: Los Angeles reported 12,617 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the county to 932,697. Another 137 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of deaths to 12,387.
Deaths increasing by 1,000%: In the last seven days, the county has reported over 1,500 deaths related to Covid, according to the latest health data. Since the increase began in November, LA County has seen an astonishing increase in deaths of over 1,000%.
The hospital’s resources are strained: Nearly 8,000 people are currently hospitalized, while officials continue to troubleshoot infrastructure issues such as reduced oxygen supply, limited staff resources and reduced bed availability. There are 650 hospital beds and 46 ICU beds available throughout the county as of Monday afternoon, officials said.
Ten people give positive results every minute: Ferrer said that every minute, 10 people in LA County are on average positive for Covid-19. “The detrimental impact on our families and local hospitals of this growth is the worst disaster our county has experienced in decades,” she said.
Vaccines: Despite the tragic loss of life, vaccines are making their way throughout the community, Ferrer said. Hospitals in Los Angeles received 220,000 doses of vaccine and about 160,000 front-line health workers were vaccinated. Hospitals began offering the second dose of eligible staff last week and more than 22,000 health workers are now fully vaccinated.
Vaccination sites: There are more than 75 vaccination sites in Los Angeles that have been set up to facilitate vaccination for people in the state’s current Phase 1A level, where non-hospitalized and unskilled workers are primarily immunized. About 20 vaccination sites are currently open to health care workers and at least five are expected to open in the near future.