REGIONAL MESSAGE ON COVID-19 THREAT ALERT SOUTHBAY CITIES
JOINT INFORMATION CENTER
KEY MESSAGES
December 21, 2020
ICU CAPACITY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AT 0%
If there was ever a time during this pandemic to evaluate how you interact with others, this is the moment. On average, two people die from complications of COVID-19 an hour in LA County. ICU capacity in the Southern California Region is at 0%. We are at a point of a critical surge. This means there are not enough critical staffed ICU beds to treat patients who need a higher level of care for survival. This doesn't just include COVID-19 patients. This includes other accidents and traumas such as car accidents and stroke patients, to name a few.
LA County Department of Public Health estimates that as of today, 1 in every 80 LA County residents is infected with COVID-19 and are either symptomatic or asymptomatic. If you are sick, stay home. If exposed to someone who has confirmed COVID-19, self-isolate. It depends on all of us. Every one of us can make good choices to prevent more friends, neighbors, and family members from being infected with COVID-19.
As always, if you think that you are having an acute medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest ER. Many insurance companies offer telemedicine options that can help determine if you are having an emergency, and urgent care providers are plentiful across the South Bay. A few reminders:
Please do not go to the ER to be tested for COVID-19. Public testing sites are available for that purpose. We know it can be hard to get the same day test. Some testing sites allow for walk-ins. Please check the LA County testing website for information as additional appointments are added daily.
Mild COVID-19 cases can easily be managed by your primary care doctor, telemedicine, or urgent care providers. Do not go to the ER for mild symptoms. Leave those resources for those who need them the most.
Please continue to wear masks, physically distance, avoid gatherings, make good decisions, and take it when a vaccine is available to you.
VACCINE INFORMATION
The FDA has granted both Pfizer and Moderna Emergency Authorization Use (EAU) of the COVID-19 vaccine. LA County has started to vaccinate frontline healthcare workers. Additional vaccine doses are expected to arrive this week and in the weeks ahead. These doses will be used to vaccinate residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities and frontline first responders.
Here is the breakdown of the vaccine distribution phases for LA County:
Phase 1A: Healthcare workers, Residents and Staff of long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, and First Responders.
Phase 1B: Essential workers
Phase 1C: Older adults and those individuals with underlying medical conditions (LA County has not changed its recommendation to align with the CDC guidance released December 20, 2020).
The general pubic COVID-19 vaccine availability is still largely unknown based on vaccine allotments provided by the State and the County for distribution. However, it is anticipated that the general public could start to receive the vaccine sometime in March 2021. To learn more about LA County’s vaccine distribution plan, please click here.
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