Los Angeles County officials continue to report a decline in new coronavirus cases, but say the emergence of more transmissible, potentially more viral variants underscores the importance of adhering to safety measures such as masking and distinguishing.
Public health officials on Saturday reported 2,393 new cases of the virus and 136 related deaths, as well as two more cases of the first-known B1.1.7 variant in the UK, which has spread to at least 42 U.S. states. Experts predict that it will become the dominant coronavirus in the country by the end of March. It is a cause for concern because it is thought to be 50% more transmissible than the traditional variety and may even be more lethal.
A total of 1 case of B1.1.7 strain has now been reported in Los Angeles County, but experts say there are likely more samples, as only a small fraction of the samples go through genetic sequencing to determine its type. . This variant has also been reported in Almeida, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo and Yellow counties.
Although research has indicated that the vaccine remains effective against the B.1.1.7 variant on the market, some officials have expressed concern that its contagious infection could lead to a further surge, especially if the widespread vaccination campaign is slow to begin and people Fatigue and public neglect. Safety rules.
“Although we have seen an overall reduction in cases, hospital admissions and deaths, we must work harder with our safety measures,” LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Let us continue our guard because we know that giving down our guard will lead to more cases and, tragically, more deaths.”
As of Friday, LA County hospitals had 2,369 Kovid-19 patients, down from about 44% two weeks ago to 4,186 patients.
Orange County reported 391 new viruses, 44 deaths and 591 hospitalized patients on Saturday, down nearly 46% from two weeks ago.
Elsewhere in the country, severe winter weather has hampered the delivery of thousands of moderne vaccine doses in California, forcing large distribution points operated by the city of Los Angeles as well as some in Orange and San Diego counties to suspend operations. And postpone visits that were originally scheduled for this weekend.
Officials said Thursday afternoon that weather delays at vaccine locations operated by LA County were still disrupted, and city-operated mobile distribution sites that travel to difficult areas have also remained operational.
About 250 front-line grocery, drug store and meatpacking workers were to be vaccinated Saturday afternoon at a pop-up clinic located in the parking lot of Office Fees in the Coritown of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 offices. The clinic, run in partnership with the state, was a satellite of the new mass vaccination site in Kel State Los Angeles, the union said in a news release.
About 500 more vaccines will be given Saturday at Boyle Heights Clinic for residents of Iside and South Los Angeles aged 65 and over by USC’s Cake Medicine. The U.S.C. said the effort was aimed at increasing vaccine access to members of nearby communities, mostly Latino and Black, and includes door-to-door outreach and shuttles to public housing apartments in nearby Remona Gardens. .
Public health officials say such access is important to bridge the gap by seeing that Latino and Black residents are vaccinated at significantly lower rates than whites and Asian Americans, despite seeing higher mortality from the virus.
