Hospital intensive care units in the Los Angeles area were filled for weeks, with health workers struggling to treat a large number of patients with COVID-19.
The holiday season, with its trips and meetings, was seen as one of the main contributors to the rise in early January.
This wave is slowing, although cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to be higher than those that occurred during last summer’s hike.
Health experts express cautious optimism and point out that the public has yet to take important precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Right now we’re at a really good point,” said Dr. Anthony Cardillo, CEO of Mend Urgent Care. “We don’t want to see a turn in the wrong direction.”
Vaccine distribution is also likely to begin to help decrease new infections. Thousands of shots are being fired at Dodger Stadium and other places in the county.
The vaccination process began with those who face the most potential exposure to the virus and those most at risk for severe symptoms.
“We know that now that we have vaccinated health care providers, the population of nursing homes and thousands of people over the age of 65 who have started receiving the vaccination sequence, we are seeing these results right now,” Cardillo said. “And that’s really helping to contribute to that decline.”
With the reduction in home stay orders in California, restaurants are reopening for outdoor dining, but health officials say people should only have dinner with family members and other people they live in the same home.
And they remind everyone to be vigilant.
“We need to maintain our sensitivity and our common sense of what really slows down the transmission of this virus.”
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