Infection and hospital admissions in California drop, but vaccine rollout hits bumps – NBC Los Angeles

After a deadly, months-long coronavirus outbreak, California is starting to see infections and hospitalizations drop, even as the state struggles to ramp up a chaotic vaccination program and warn people to stay vigilant.

The number of new virus cases reported Tuesday was just over 12,000, the lowest daily rate since November. In early January, daily counts were routinely above 40,000.

Hospital capacity is on the rise after falling so low in December that overwhelmed facilities talked about rationing. If current trends continue, the number of COVID-19 hospital patients will have fallen by half by early March, said Health and Human Services Minister, Dr. Mark Ghaly Tuesday.

The Biden administration said it will increase vaccine distribution and use pharmacies directly. Patrick Healy reported on NBC4 News on Tuesday February 2, 2021.

Another measure is the capacity of intensive care units. Most provinces received orders for those staying at home in December. Southern California – the most populous and hardest hit of five state-designated regions – had exhausted its regular ICU beds, remaining at 0% capacity through January.

But in just over three weeks, the number of ICU patients statewide has dropped from a record high of nearly 4,900 to about 3,800, and all state home requests have been dropped.

The state thinks ICU capacity could reach 44% in four weeks.

California has recorded more than 41,000 deaths – putting it behind New York only between states – but even that rate may be starting to slow. After an average of 544 daily deaths last week, the last three daily counts averaged 371.

Still, Ghaly said the number of cases of COVID-19 is “down, but not low.”

Championship celebrations in Southern California over the World Series victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the NBA crown for the LA Lakers last fall marked the start of the wave, which peaked in January before a sharp decline began.

“The chances of another wave in California are real” if people drop their guard or if mutations of the virus take over, Ghaly said.

He urged people not to gather for big Super Bowl celebrations on Sunday, which could become “ super spreader ” events.

“Try to share as little as possible, except for the cheers,” he joked. “Don’t fumble.”

The state is also taking a number of steps to prepare for the possibility of a fourth wave. It maintains an order that will speed up patient transfers between medical facilities, continue to bring in outside health workers, and help hospitals ensure they have adequate oxygen for patients with the respiratory disease, Ghaly said.

Meanwhile, the state of nearly 40 million residents is working towards a smooth rollout of COVID-19 vaccines that has been characterized by under-dose and different county regulations for who were immediately eligible to receive them.

Ghaly said the state has administered more than 3.5 million vaccine doses, significantly increasing the daily number of shots it issued several weeks ago, Ghaly said.

The Biden government has pledged to ramp up supplies, and on Tuesday, CVS pharmacies announced they would vaccinate people in some California stores next week.

But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California still lags behind other U.S. states in vaccinations, and desperate residents report ongoing problems scheduling an appointment as state officials try to develop a system that protects the most vulnerable.

Officials made the important announcement last week that the state was in the process of establishing a new, centralized vaccine distribution system led by Blue Shield, the insurance giant. But a letter of intent signed by the state and company released Monday shows that the specifics of the program are still evolving, even if state officials had said they hoped to move to the new system in mid-February.

The state has authorized health workers, teachers, food and agricultural workers, other first responders, and people 65 and older to be vaccinated. In a surprise move last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state would then move to an age-based system, outraged, among others, those with disabilities who previously sat in line.

The Newsom administration “is renouncing a pledge to ensure that our community is safe,” said Judy Mark, president of Disability Voices United.

“What they say is that they are willing to protect all people and caregivers around people with disabilities, but not the people with disabilities themselves,” she said.

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Amy Taxin in Orange County, Janie Har in San Francisco, and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento contributed to this report.