Los Angeles public health officials are advising that all essential workers across the country should wear masks inside their own homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus inside the home, as hospitals and deaths continue at alarming rates.
Officials say this is the “worst accident” that has happened in the county in decades.
“Right now, because there is so much spread, we recommend that people wear the front cover while inside the home. It will provide a layer of protection while we get through Increase this, “said the Director of Public Health, Dr. Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference Monday.
“We strongly recommend that you keep your face covered if you are an employee who goes out every day or in fact you are someone who needs the necessary mistakes in the family you run, “Ferrer said.
Surge in cases: Los Angeles reported 12,617 new cases Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the county to 932,697. A further 137 deaths were reported, increasing the total number of deaths to 12,387.
Deaths increase by 1,000%: In the past seven days, the county has reported more than 1,500 Covid-related deaths, according to the latest health data. Since the rise began in November, LA County has seen deaths rise more than a staggering 1,000%.
Hospital facilities material: Nearly 8,000 people are currently in the hospital as officers continue to resolve infrastructure issues such as low oxygen supply, limited staffing resources, and limited bed availability. There are 650 hospital beds and 46 ICU beds available in the entire county Monday afternoon, officials said.
Ten people take a positive test every minute: Ferrer said that, every minute, an average of 10 people in LA County test positive for Covid-19. “The devastating impact on our families and local hospitals of this increase is the worst tragedy in our county for decades,” she said.
Vaccines: Despite a terrible loss of life, vaccines are making their way across the community, Ferrer said. Hospitals in Los Angeles received 220,000 vaccine doses and approximately 160,000 health care workers received the vaccine. Hospitals began giving a second dose of their staff last week and more than 22,000 healthcare workers are now fully vaccinated.
Vaccination sites: More than 75 vaccine sites have been set up in Los Angeles to help administer the vaccine to individuals within the state level 1A, where non-hospital care workers are mostly and unskilled health care workers receiving the vaccine. Around 20 vaccination sites are currently open to frontline health care workers and at least five more are expected to open soon.