The stay-at-home warrant was imposed on every region in California where the available capacity in intensive care units fell below 15%. The original order was supposed to last three weeks and expire on December 28.
But Southern California’s ICU capacity is at 0% as hospitals remain under pressure amid an ongoing increase in the number of new patients.
To leave the stay-at-home order, a region must revert to a minimum of 15% ICU capacity. After reaching that figure, projections should predict that the region will remain at that level for at least four more weeks before the order can be lifted.
“It is likely that the Regional Stay at Home Order will cover many regions of California,” health officials said in a statement released Saturday. “Regions must remain under the Regional Residence Regulation for at least three weeks and will continue until ICU capacity projections for four weeks from the assessed day are greater than or equal to 15%.”
There are 6,770 COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles County hospitals, 20% of which are in the ICU.
The San Joaquin Valley also has a 0% ICU capacity, while the Bay Area has 11.3%; Greater Sacramento stands at 16.9% and the rest of Northern California 33.9%.
Los Angeles County reported 13,185 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, in addition to 15,538 cases on Friday. The province has reported more than 706,000 cases and 9,438 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
According to local officials, a person dies from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County about every 10 minutes now.
Hospitals are scrambling to make room for the influx of patients, but they say one of the more difficult challenges is not the space, but simply having enough staff to provide the right care.
“It’s very busy,” says Dr. Umber Chohan, infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente. “The emergency rooms, the hospitals, the ICs. It’s very crowded. The number is increasing. They are higher than anything we’ve seen in the past. They are double and three times as many as we saw last time. ‘
US passes 18 million cases
Another concern is a new strain of the virus that has been detected in the UK. It is described as 70% more transferable than previous strains. Los Angeles officials say that as the city remains a hub for international travel, it won’t be surprising to find that new species here.
The country now has more than 18 million confirmed cases and nearly 120,000 hospital admissions.
California has recorded more than 2 million cases, with 23,983 deaths.
Despite the concerns, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
About 2 million Americans have now received a COVID-19 vaccine.
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