Southern California intensive care unit (ICU) availability has fallen to 0 percent amid the sustained spike in COVID-19 cases.
Medical facilities in Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties all reported a capacity level of 0.5 percent on Wednesday before dropping to 0 percent on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times. reported.
“There simply isn’t enough trained staff to take care of the amount of patients who are expected to come and need care,” said Christina Ghaly, director of health services in Los Angeles County.
“Our hospitals are under siege and the end of our model is not yet in sight,” she added.
Health officials have said that the availability of the ICU is constantly fluctuating as new patients are admitted or stabilized.
“You hear we’re at 0 percent,” Gov. Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom California breaks one-day coronavirus death record as fatalities jump 35 percent in a week Kamala Harris says there will be no ‘punishment’ for not wearing masks under Biden Pressley urges Newsom to bring a Black woman in Harris’s chair (D) said at a news conference Monday. ‘That does not mean that we do not have any IC beds or staff available at all. It means that we are gaining momentum. ‘
According to data collected by the Times, California broke the record number of new hospital admissions for the coronavirus for 18 days in a row.
About 393 COVID-19 fatalities were reported in the state on Wednesday, breaking the previous record on Tuesday when 295 deaths were recorded.
California now has an average of 203 deaths from the coronavirus per day over a week period, with 35,200 new cases daily. The Times added that both figures have quadrupled since the middle of last month.
Denise Whitfield, an emergency room physician and medical director of the LA County Medical Emergency Service, said she thinks a medical facility’s capacity could run out if access numbers soar.
“And the level of concern that every Los Angeles County resident deserves could be threatened by the fact that we are overwhelmed,” Whitfield said.
The state is reportedly opening temporary field hospitals to help deal with spillovers.