According to Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of L.A. County Health and Human Services, there were only 370 available hospital beds for the county of 10 million.
ICU availability was even worse, with just 56 adult ICU beds remaining.
Orange County on Monday set new records for new coronavirus diagnoses — 3,250 — and hospitalizations, with the county’s adjusted intensive care unit capacity reaching zero.
Between November 1 and December 7, cases in Los Angeles County increased by 625%, said Ferrer.
There are 4,203 people hospitalized with COVID in the county, and nearly half of the county’s ICU beds are now occupied by COVID patients.
Ghaly noted that the county has been able to add 13% more ICU beds now in comparison to summer peak.
“We are aware that there are certain hospitals in the county where offload time can exceed four hours,” revealed Ferrer. »