Los Angeles County shattered COVID records in every category on Wednesday – deaths, hospitalizations and new cases, while ICU bed availability continues falling to unbelievable levels. Meanwhile, West Hollywood and the surrounding areas had record-breaking or near-record-breaking numbers of new cases on Wednesday as well.
The LA County Public Health Department confirmed 138 new deaths and 22,422 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 4,656 people hospitalized, each an all-time high. The 11-county Southern California region now has ICU bed availability of .5%, an all-time low.
Some 253 more people were hospitalized on Wednesday than on Tuesday, with a total of 4,656 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19. That sets a new record for hospitalizations in the county, beating the previous record of 4,403 which was set on Tuesday.
Of those hospitalized, 21% are in the ICU, which translates to 978 patients in the ICU.
LA County Health Services Director Christina Ghaly reported that as of Wednesday, the county had a total of 102 available and staffed ICU beds, out of a total licensed capacity of about 2,500 ICU beds across all hospitals in the county.
The daily number of ICU and standard hospital beds operating in the county varies based on staffing available to treat patients in them.
Ghaly said hospitals are now averaging about 600 coronavirus admissions per day, up from about 500 last week. Based on current trends, hospitals could be admitting anywhere from 750 to 1,350 new COVID admissions per day by the end of December, she said.
“Our hospitals are under siege, and our model shows no end in sight,” Ghaly said, adding, “The worst is still before us.”
The 11-county Southern California region’s ICU bed availability now stands at .5%, which is down from 1.7% on Tuesday, down from 2.7% on Monday and 5.3% on Saturday.
According to the county, the local transmission rate for COVID-19 — the average number of people each COVID-positive person infects with the virus – – is now 1.2, up from 1.16 a week ago. Anytime the rate is above 1, case numbers are projected to grow.
The county also estimates that one of every 80 residents not hospitalized or in quarantine/isolation is infected with the virus, likely without knowing it or showing any symptoms, yet still capable of infecting others.
Ghaly issued a warning for residents across the county who continue to resist public health protocols such as staying home, wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.
“If you don’t do everything possible to minimize spread (of the virus), then you are contributing to the spread and prolonging the amount of time in which our hospitals have more patients … than they can safely handle,” she said. “The consequences of this will affect anyone and everyone who needs hospital-level care. It’s not just those with COVID. It will impact people who have a heart attack or a stroke and need services. Those who are in a car accident and need surgery. Those who have newly diagnosed cancer and need immediately chemotherapy in an in-patient setting.”
Los Angeles County reported 22,422 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, but that figure includes a backlog of 7,000 cases not previously reported. That brings the county to a cumulative total of 566,005 cases since the pandemic began in March.
The county announced 138 more people dead from the coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing the county’s cumulative death toll to 8,568 people.
West Hollywood saw 27 new cases on Wednesday for a cumulative total of 1,172 cases. There were no new deaths from COVID in the city. WeHo’s cumulative death toll remains at nine deaths.
Below are the daily numbers for areas near West Hollywood:
- Beverly Hills – 25 new cases for a total of 1,277 cases.
- Culver City – 32 new cases for a total of 921 cases.
- Hollywood – 96 new cases for a total of 2,601 cases.
- Melrose neighborhood – 165 new cases for a total of 3,802 cases.
- Miracle Mile – 18 new cases for a total of 413 cases.
- Park La Brea – 7 new cases for a total of 264 cases.
- Santa Monica – 39 new cases for a total of 2,019 cases.
For information about the many resources available to West Hollywood residents who have been impacted by COVID-19, CLICK HERE.
The only thing that will stop this pandemic is the only thing that the ruling class refuses to do: pay people to stay home
EXACTLY!!
Can you let us know the specific borders of the “Melrose” district, as well as the population? Those numbers are astonishing and it saddens me to see how the defiance of a very specific sub-community is disproportionately contributing to this pandemic.
Yes, I’d like that information, too. These geographic discussions are too vague without boilerplate descriptions of what these boundaries are.