The announcement does not necessarily mean that no beds in the intensive care unit are available.
The state adjusts the percentage downward if the counties have a higher-than-expected ratio of COVID-19 patients occupying ICU space.
News of the reduced ICU capacity came when the state announced the deaths of 379 Californians, marking the highest number of fatalities in one day since the pandemic began and surpassed the previous day’s record.
The state reported a further 52,281 new cases of the virus, just 1,400 fewer cases than what California saw the day before.
If California were a country, this is how it would be ranked based on Johns Hopkins’ COVID-19 Daily Case Counts for December 16:
1) US 247,403
2) Brazil 70,574
3) California 53,711
4) UK 25,161
5) India 24,010
6) France 17,720
7) Italy 17,568
An average of 2 people die from COVID in LA County every hour as hospitals are ‘under siege’ amid a wave
The 379 deaths correspond to a life lost every four minutes over a 24-hour period.
In Los Angeles County, an average of about two people die every hour from the virus, what the public health official calls an “explosive and very deadly wave.”
The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is primarily administered to health workers in the state.
According to Gavin Newsom, the state would receive 393,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week.
DEVELOPMENT: More details will be added to this report as they become available.
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