The availability of the intensive care unit (ICU) in Southern California has declined to 0% amid the ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases.
Medical facilities in Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties reported 0.5% capacity levels on Wednesday before falling to 0% Thursday, in the Los Angeles Times reported.
“There just aren’t enough staff trained to care for the volume of patients who are expected to need care,” said Christina Ghaly, Los Angeles County director of health services.
“Our hospitals are under siege and our model shows no end,” he added.
Health officials have said that ICU availability fluctuates constantly as new patients are admitted or stabilized.
“You feel like we’re at 0 percent,” the governor said. Gavin Newsom
NewsomCalifornia gull breaks record one-day coronavirus deaths as deaths rise 35% in one week (D) said so at a press conference Monday. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have beds or ICU staff available. It means we’re in full swing.”
According to data collected by the Times, California has broken the record for new coronavirus hospitalizations for 18 consecutive days.
On Wednesday, some 393 fatalities were reported by COVID-19 statewide, surpassing the previous record set on Tuesday, when 295 deaths were recorded.
California now averages 203 coronavirus deaths a day over a weekly period, with 35,200 new cases daily. The Times added that the two figures have quadrupled since the middle of last month.
Denise Whitfield, emergency physician and associate medical director of the Los Angeles County Medical Services Agency, said she believes the capacity of some medical facilities could be depleted if admission rates continue to rise. .
“And the level of attention that all Los Angeles County residents deserve may be threatened by the fact that we are overwhelmed,” Whitfield said.
According to reports, the state is opening temporary field hospitals to help treat patients with overflow.