Los Angeles County officials said Sunday that appointments are available this week at the five major coronavirus vaccination centers in Magic Mountain, the Pomona Fairplex, Cal State Northridge, the Forum in Inglewood and the County Office of Education in Downey.
Appointments can be booked at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/index.htm.
Residents who receive their first dose of the vaccine at a district-run, high-capacity vaccination site are given the date and location for their second dose and are automatically registered for their second dose appointment. They also receive email reminders.
On Sunday, the county reported 8,243 new cases of COVID-19 and 98 additional deaths, bringing the county’s total to 1,073,111 cases and 15,260 fatalities.
As of Sunday, 6,697 people with COVID-19 had been hospitalized, compared to 6,881 the day before. That number peaked at more than 8,000 earlier this year.
But while that number is declining, health workers and ICU capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region still having 0% available ICU space and remaining under the Regional Stay at Home Order.
Officials at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have urged patience among residents eager to get a COVID-19 vaccination, with supplies left woefully short and the overloaded online reservation system leaving many people frustrated when scheduling appointments.
“We are also seeing a decrease in the number of hospitalizations and several other indicators we track, including the percentage of positivity testing, the percentage of emergency room visits associated with COVID-19, and the percentage of respiratory specimens positive for COVID in sentinel observation laboratories. said Dr. Paul Simon, the department’s chief science officer.
“Despite these promising trends, however, I would like to stress that the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains far too high,” he said. So while there is reason to be hopeful, we all need to stay vigilant and disciplined, wear masks, distance yourself physically when out, avoid meetings, and wash our hands often. “
Simon said the five sites – each able to deliver 4,000 shots per day – will be operating at a much lower capacity this week, likely in the range of 2,000 to 2,500.
The province expects to receive approximately 143,900 additional doses of vaccine this week. However, because people must receive two doses of the drug, three to four weeks apart, most of the vaccine coming this week will be used to give second doses to people who have already received the first injection. Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer previously estimated that only 37,900 of the new doses will be available for people to receive their first dose.
Simon said on Friday that the latest figures show 441,140 doses of vaccine have already been administered in the province, although he said that number is likely much higher due to delays in counting vaccination totals. As of this week, the province had received about 853,000 doses in total.
Simon said people shouldn’t look at those numbers and assume there are 400,000 unused doses in the county, noting again that vaccination reports and daily dose administration are lagging behind. If the county’s weekly allocation doesn’t improve dramatically above the current average of about 150,000, “the vaccination effort is likely to extend well into 2022,” said Simon.
He said if the county can increase its allocation to 500,000 a week, “we have the potential to reach 75% of the county’s adult population or 6 million adults by mid-summer.”
Meanwhile, he insisted on patience, saying, “We understand the importance of getting the vaccine out of the closet as soon as possible.”
He said the state is upgrading its vaccine appointment website, which links the county system, so it should run smoother this week.
The county also has a reservation system, which is available from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm at 833-540-0473. But that line should only be used by people who can’t use the website, as the number of calls is already extraordinarily high, Simon said.
On Saturday, the health department confirmed 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases of coronavirus.
The COVID-19 wave that started around Thanksgiving and continued through the New Year appears to be leveling off. The focus is now on vaccinating people, but there is a dose shortage across the country and even in LA County. Michelle Valles will report for the NBC4 News on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
There were currently 6,881 people with COVID-19 in the hospital, and 24% are in the ICU. This is the first time since December 29 that the number of daily hospital admissions has declined to less than 7,000 patients. But as that number falls, health workers and ICU capacity remain overwhelmed, with the Southern California region still having 0% available ICU space and remaining under the Regional Stay at Home Order.
Eight new cases of childhood multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) were also reported. This brings the total number of MIS-C cases in LA County to 62 children, one of whom has died. All 62 were hospitalized and 45% were treated in the ICU. 31% of the children with MIS-C were younger than 5 years; 37% were between 5 and 11; and 32% were between 12 and 20. Latino / Latinx children account for nearly 74% of the reported cases.
MIS-C is an inflammatory condition related to COVID-19. Symptoms include a fever that does not go away and inflamed parts of the body including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. If you think your child is showing MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care physician or emergency room. Seek emergency care for critical or life-threatening conditions. If you don’t have a primary care provider, call 211 and LA County will help you connect one.
Also Sunday, officials announced the planned opening of a pop-up COVID-19 walk-up test site at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 6364 Zindell Ave. in Commerce. The site opens on Tuesday.
Tests are free and proof of medical insurance is not required. All on-site tests will be conducted January 26-30 from 10am to 4pm.