According to the Ministry of Health, 20% of the 4,864 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the country were in ICU.
Meanwhile, the rollout of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine continued after it was received by nine pre-designated locations across the country. The initial allocation was used to vaccinate primary care health workers in anticipation of an expected second shipment of Pfizer’s vaccine next week.
In a statement, the health department expressed hope that a second vaccine manufactured by Moderna will soon receive emergency use approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thursday’s new data was released hours after California officials announced that the Southern California region’s ICU capacity had fallen to 0%.
California also reported a staggering 52,000 new cases in one day – equal to the entire US average in mid-October – and a one-day record of 379 deaths. More than 16,000 people are in hospital with the coronavirus statewide, more than three times as many as a month ago.
ICU capacity drops to 0% in Southern California as state reports 379 new deaths, a smashing record
LA County’s new cases bring the total to 580,325. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 8,664 deaths have been reported in the province.
In the face of such numbers, a coalition of trade unions is calling on province leaders to issue a month-long shutdown, including curfews and the temporary closure of non-essential businesses.
Proponents of the plan, and some provincial regulators, say it would only work if employees and businesses are paid to offset the economic losses.
“What we do just doesn’t work,” says Kurt Peterson of Unite Here Local11. “So we have to follow the science, we have to look at places where they have been more successful. In addition, those places are places that have been locked for a certain amount of time to get the virus under control.”
Hospitals across California are running out of intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients, ambulances are backing up outside of emergency rooms, and tents for exterminating the sick are growing as the nation’s most populous state is the newest epicenter of the American outbreak. .
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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