By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Los Angeles County health authorities announced this weekend that since Dec.11, more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases have been reported

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

To date, Public Health identified 610,372 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 8,817 deaths.

There are 5,424 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 21% of these people are in the ICU. Today’s number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is again a new high and an increase of more than 300 patients since yesterday.

A recent decision by the Court of Appeal affirms Los Angeles County’s duty to prevent disease transmission and protect public health through existing Health Officer Orders, and the suspension of outdoor dining remains in effect. Public Health reminds all sectors and businesses that all other requirements, safety directives, and temporary business closures also remain in effect.

The Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will be modified today to align with recent Supreme Court rulings for places of worship. Places of worship are permitted to offer faith-based services both indoors and outdoors with mandatory physical distancing and face coverings over both the nose and mouth that must be worn at all times while on site. Places of worship must also assure that attendance does not exceed the number of people who can be accommodated while maintaining a physical distance of six feet between separate households.

Public Health strongly recommends that places of worship continue to hold services outdoors, with physical distancing and the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community. Because Los Angeles County is experiencing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, every effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to congregants and to the entire community is critical.

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the second vaccine to prevent COVID-19 severe illness. The EUA allows the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed throughout the country. Public Health expects doses of this vaccine to arrive in L.A. County next week. Once these doses arrive, they will be used to vaccinate staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities, frontline EMS EMT’s and paramedics, and vaccinators.

Currently, the Pfizer COVID-19 initial allocation of vaccine is being used by acute care hospitals to vaccinate frontline health care personnel. A second allotment of Pfizer vaccine is anticipated to arrive next week and will be used to vaccinate additional healthcare workers at acute care hospitals.