latimes--2020-12-01--Two vaccines might get emergency approval this month. Here's what you need to know

By most assessments , the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines have been developed is remarkable .
Vaccines often take years to roll out , but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , which is tasked with vetting and approving new medical products , released guidelines this summer that included a provision to authorize their emergency use .
Such authorization would circumvent the typical protocols and allow a new vaccine to be distributed if “ the known and potential benefits of a product … outweigh the known and potential risks.
” On Nov. 20 , Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine .
On Monday , Moderna submitted its candidate for similar authorization .
Both requests are under review .
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both RNA-based vaccines and require two doses .
The Pfizer vaccine doses need to be administered three weeks apart ; the Moderna doses , four weeks apart .
A green light from the FDA could set into motion a rapid sequence of bureaucratic procedures and logistical steps that would result in the initial delivery of 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later than Dec. 14 .
The company says it expects to produce up to 50 million doses by the end of the year .
The Moderna vaccine , if authorized , would be ready for distribution a week later .
The company expects to have approximately 20 million doses available in the U.S. by the end of 2020 .
“ Far and away , this is the most ambitious vaccine program ever attempted , period , ” said Dr. Kelly Moore , associate director of the Immunization Action Coalition , a nonprofit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Moore , a former member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices , currently serves on an external advisory board for Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine .
Where do we stand today ?
In submitting their requests for an emergency use authorization to the FDA , Pfizer and Moderna forwarded data collected from clinical trials that had been conducted through November .
An advisory committee with the federal agency — the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee — is reviewing the information .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trials have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal , the FDA ’ s investigation is “ far more detailed and rigorous than a peer review , ” Moore said .
In addition , early results of Phase 3 trials for both vaccines have been vetted by an independent data and safety monitoring board .
When will we learn the FDA ’ s decision ?
The advisory committee meets Dec. 10 to consider Pfizer ’ s request .
Moore expects a decision to be made within a day or two , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the vaccine could be on its way to medical centers throughout the U.S. no later than Dec. 14 .
Moderna expects the committee to consider its request Dec. 17 .
If approved , its vaccine will be available as early as Dec. 21 , Stéphane Bancel , the company ’ s chief executive , told the New York Times .
Who will be eligible for the vaccine ?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met Tuesday to debate and vote on who should be first in line to receive initial doses of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the initial vaccination effort focus on frontline healthcare workers , as well as residents of long-term care facilities , such as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities .
As more vaccine becomes available , more groups will be eligible .
Their recommendations are nonbinding but “ carry great importance for public health and medical officials , ” Moore said .
Tuesday ’ s decision is intended to help states as they get ready to receive and distribute COVID-19 vaccines .
The committee , however , will meet again to discuss and vote on specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorization .
What happens after the emergency use authorization is granted ?
No vaccine doses can be shipped until the emergency use authorization has been granted , but the CDC and the federal Department of Health and Human Services have been working with states to determine where they will be delivered for what is known as “ prepositioning , ” Moore said .
The goal of prepositioning is to identify locations where the vaccine can be delivered and administered once the emergency use authorization is granted .
At that point , states can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC tracking system .
The CDC will relay the information to the pharmaceutical companies , and shipments can begin .
How will the vaccines be shipped ?
The Pfizer vaccine is being manufactured at the company ’ s 1,300-acre facility in Kalamazoo , Mich. Shipments will be made from there and from a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie , Wis .
The nature of the Pfizer vaccine requires it to be kept at about minus 70 degrees Celsius .
Pfizer has designed “ temperature-controlled thermal shippers ” with dry ice to maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine will have to be stored in special freezers .
The vaccine will be shipped by FedEx or UPS in the special coolers , which are fitted with up to five trays .
Each tray holds 975 doses , so each cooler can contain 4,875 .
Because of the special requirements of the vaccine , the CDC recommends that it be shipped directly to where it will be administered to minimize handling .
There will be an exception for rural parts of the country , where the targeted population is smaller than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distributed more widely .
The Moderna vaccine is different .
The company says its vaccine needs to be frozen , but only at minus 20 C , the temperature of a regular freezer .
This requirement will make it easier for the vaccine to be stored in pharmacies or in rural areas that don ’ t have ultra-cold freezers .
How will the initial vaccine shipments be allocated among the states and within California ?
The number of doses each state receives will be based on its population , not the severity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced that California is set to receive 327,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine when the first 6.4 million doses are shipped .
The state has not indicated how many doses of the Moderna vaccine it will initially receive .
California is developing its own guidelines for the prioritization and allocation of vaccine when supplies are limited , according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health .
The recommendations of the CDC ’ s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be taken into consideration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County , the Department of Public Health is working with the state to determine the amount of vaccine each local hospital will receive .
Once received , the vaccine can be administered to any of the early priority groups .
How will this play out in California ?
On Oct. 27 , the federal Department of Health and Human Services asked the state Department of Public Health to identify sites for prepositioning vaccine in California .
The state chose Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles , Mercy Medical Center in Redding , Rady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , UC Davis Health in Sacramento , UC San Francisco Medical Center , Valley Children ’ s Healthcare in Madera and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital .
These medical centers were selected because they have “ ultra-low temperature freezers , ” a large population of the “ highest risk ” healthcare workers and the ability to “ redistribute vaccine outside their facility and network , ” said a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health .
They will be used if prepositioning is required in the initial stage of the vaccine ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required , other registered providers throughout the state will be able to receive and administer the vaccine .
UCLA Health , for instance , has increased its cold-storage capabilities , according to a spokesperson , and will be able to assist the county or state if needed .
Will the state ’ s safety review group slow down this process ?
In October , Newsom announced an 11-member COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to assess the safety and effectiveness of any federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine .
According to Dr. Art Reingold , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has met twice and reviewed the publicly available data from the Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials conducted by Pfizer .
Reingold does not anticipate the workgroup ’ s final assessment to delay the delivery and administration of the vaccines in California .
What happens next ?
Once the vaccination process begins , states will receive periodic notices from the CDC about future allocations .
The states will then decide where the vaccine is needed and where subsequent doses should be shipped .
What about those second doses ?
The CDC ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets a first dose and will coordinate with Pfizer and Moderna on the shipment of the second doses .
This means medical centers can administer all the doses they initially receive without having to hold onto half for the second shot .
How long before I can drive to my local pharmacy and get a vaccine ?
If you ’ re healthy and a nonessential worker , you will have to wait .
Most experts feel that the immunization effort in the United States will be in high gear by late spring and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Moderna continue to ramp up production , and other vaccine candidates complete their clinical trials and apply for emergency use authorization .
“ This is the first of anything like this , ” said Dr. Rita Shane , chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai .
“ We ’ re looking forward to seeing the world become a better place once this comes through.
” Until then , the coronavirus will continue to be a threat to public health .
Masks and social distancing will continue to be important safeguards against getting COVID-19 .

By most assessments, the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines have been developed is remarkable.
Vaccines often take years to roll out, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is tasked with vetting and approving new medical products, released guidelines this summer that included a provision to authorize their emergency use. Such authorization would circumvent the typical protocols and allow a new vaccine to be distributed if “the known and potential benefits of a product … outweigh the known and potential risks.”
On Nov. 20, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were the first to file for an emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, Moderna submitted its candidate for similar authorization. Both requests are under review.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both RNA-based vaccines and require two doses. The Pfizer vaccine doses need to be administered three weeks apart; the Moderna doses, four weeks apart.
A green light from the FDA could set into motion a rapid sequence of bureaucratic procedures and logistical steps that would result in the initial delivery of 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine throughout the United States and eight territories no later than Dec. 14. The company says it expects to produce up to 50 million doses by the end of the year.
The Moderna vaccine, if authorized, would be ready for distribution a week later. The company expects to have approximately 20 million doses available in the U.S. by the end of 2020.
“Far and away, this is the most ambitious vaccine program ever attempted, period,” said Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of the Immunization Action Coalition, a nonprofit that provides information about vaccines and their distribution. Moore, a former member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, currently serves on an external advisory board for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.
Where do we stand today?
In submitting their requests for an emergency use authorization to the FDA, Pfizer and Moderna forwarded data collected from clinical trials that had been conducted through November. An advisory committee with the federal agency — the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee — is reviewing the information.
Even though the results of the Pfizer trials have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, the FDA’s investigation is “far more detailed and rigorous than a peer review,” Moore said.
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In addition, early results of Phase 3 trials for both vaccines have been vetted by an independent data and safety monitoring board.
When will we learn the FDA’s decision?
The advisory committee meets Dec. 10 to consider Pfizer’s request. Moore expects a decision to be made within a day or two, and if the FDA grants emergency use authorization, the vaccine could be on its way to medical centers throughout the U.S. no later than Dec. 14.
Moderna expects the committee to consider its request Dec. 17. If approved, its vaccine will be available as early as Dec. 21, Stéphane Bancel, the company’s chief executive, told the New York Times.
Who will be eligible for the vaccine?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met Tuesday to debate and vote on who should be first in line to receive initial doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. They recommended that the initial vaccination effort focus on frontline healthcare workers, as well as residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. As more vaccine becomes available, more groups will be eligible.
Their recommendations are nonbinding but “carry great importance for public health and medical officials,” Moore said.
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Tuesday’s decision is intended to help states as they get ready to receive and distribute COVID-19 vaccines. The committee, however, will meet again to discuss and vote on specific vaccines once those vaccines have received FDA authorization.
What happens after the emergency use authorization is granted?
No vaccine doses can be shipped until the emergency use authorization has been granted, but the CDC and the federal Department of Health and Human Services have been working with states to determine where they will be delivered for what is known as “prepositioning,” Moore said. The goal of prepositioning is to identify locations where the vaccine can be delivered and administered once the emergency use authorization is granted.
At that point, states can place their orders for the vaccine through the CDC tracking system. The CDC will relay the information to the pharmaceutical companies, and shipments can begin.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine storage facility in Kalamazoo, Mich. (Pfizer / Associated Press)
How will the vaccines be shipped?
The Pfizer vaccine is being manufactured at the company’s 1,300-acre facility in Kalamazoo, Mich. Shipments will be made from there and from a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
The nature of the Pfizer vaccine requires it to be kept at about minus 70 degrees Celsius. Pfizer has designed “temperature-controlled thermal shippers” with dry ice to maintain this frigid temperature. Once delivered, the vaccine will have to be stored in special freezers.
The vaccine will be shipped by FedEx or UPS in the special coolers, which are fitted with up to five trays. Each tray holds 975 doses, so each cooler can contain 4,875.
Because of the special requirements of the vaccine, the CDC recommends that it be shipped directly to where it will be administered to minimize handling. There will be an exception for rural parts of the country, where the targeted population is smaller than 975 and the doses have to be distributed more widely.
The Moderna vaccine is different. The company says its vaccine needs to be frozen, but only at minus 20 C, the temperature of a regular freezer. This requirement will make it easier for the vaccine to be stored in pharmacies or in rural areas that don’t have ultra-cold freezers.
How will the initial vaccine shipments be allocated among the states and within California?
The number of doses each state receives will be based on its population, not the severity of the outbreak within its borders.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California is set to receive 327,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine when the first 6.4 million doses are shipped. The state has not indicated how many doses of the Moderna vaccine it will initially receive.
California is developing its own guidelines for the prioritization and allocation of vaccine when supplies are limited, according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health. The recommendations of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be taken into consideration, the spokesperson said.
In Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health is working with the state to determine the amount of vaccine each local hospital will receive. Once received, the vaccine can be administered to any of the early priority groups.
How will this play out in California?
On Oct. 27, the federal Department of Health and Human Services asked the state Department of Public Health to identify sites for prepositioning vaccine in California.
The state chose Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Mercy Medical Center in Redding, Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, UC Davis Health in Sacramento, UC San Francisco Medical Center, Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
These medical centers were selected because they have “ultra-low temperature freezers,” a large population of the “highest risk” healthcare workers and the ability to “redistribute vaccine outside their facility and network,” said a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health. They will be used if prepositioning is required in the initial stage of the vaccine’s distribution.
If prepositioning is not required, other registered providers throughout the state will be able to receive and administer the vaccine. UCLA Health, for instance, has increased its cold-storage capabilities, according to a spokesperson, and will be able to assist the county or state if needed.
Will the state’s safety review group slow down this process?
In October, Newsom announced an 11-member COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to assess the safety and effectiveness of any federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine. According to Dr. Art Reingold, the group’s chairman, the committee has met twice and reviewed the publicly available data from the Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials conducted by Pfizer.
Reingold does not anticipate the workgroup’s final assessment to delay the delivery and administration of the vaccines in California.
What happens next?
Once the vaccination process begins, states will receive periodic notices from the CDC about future allocations. The states will then decide where the vaccine is needed and where subsequent doses should be shipped.
What about those second doses?
The CDC’s vaccine tracking system will monitor who gets a first dose and will coordinate with Pfizer and Moderna on the shipment of the second doses. This means medical centers can administer all the doses they initially receive without having to hold onto half for the second shot.
How long before I can drive to my local pharmacy and get a vaccine?
If you’re healthy and a nonessential worker, you will have to wait. Most experts feel that the immunization effort in the United States will be in high gear by late spring and early summer of 2021, as Pfizer and Moderna continue to ramp up production, and other vaccine candidates complete their clinical trials and apply for emergency use authorization.
“This is the first of anything like this,” said Dr. Rita Shane, chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai. “We’re looking forward to seeing the world become a better place once this comes through.”
Until then, the coronavirus will continue to be a threat to public health. Masks and social distancing will continue to be important safeguards against getting COVID-19.


latimes--2020-12-01--CSU extends application deadlines, citing student coronavirus hardships

More than a million students who apply to the 23-campus California State University system annually will now have 11 extra days to submit their applications after the deadline was extended to Dec. 15 to ease the burden on those facing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , the chancellor ’ s office said Tuesday .
The original deadline for incoming freshmen and transfer applicants for fall 2021 was Dec. 4 .
“ By extending the deadline , we are acknowledging that prospective students , their families and really everyone is dealing with many , many challenges and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the reason that someone doesn ’ t apply to college , ” Mike Uhlenkamp , a spokesman for the Cal State chancellor ’ s office , said .
“ We felt this would be helpful to prospective students who are weighing their options and ultimately want to make it as easy as possible to apply to a CSU campus.
” The Cal State system also encouraged students to visit the university ’ s financial aid website after applying to learn about options to finance their education .
With annual tuition and fees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most affordable public universities in the nation , and 80 % of its students receive some type of financial aid .
The decision follows other pandemic-related changes the Cal State system has made , including suspending the use of SAT/ACT exam scores in the admissions process and accepting spring grades of “ credit ” or “ pass ” instead of letter grades for courses required for admission .
The system saw record enrollment in fall 2020 , driven largely by increases in transfer students and the share of first-year students who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also announced Sunday evening that it would push back its application deadline for all freshman and transfer applications from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 after its online application system experienced several hours of intermittent outages .
“ We understand and regret the inconvenience and stress these technical disruptions may have had on applicants and their families , ” UC said in a statement .
“ The University therefore decided to extend the deadline ... in hopes that the additional time will help reduce the anxiety around the application process and deadline .
”

More than a million students who apply to the 23-campus California State University system annually will now have 11 extra days to submit their applications after the deadline was extended to Dec. 15 to ease the burden on those facing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chancellor’s office said Tuesday.
The original deadline for incoming freshmen and transfer applicants for fall 2021 was Dec. 4.
“By extending the deadline, we are acknowledging that prospective students, their families and really everyone is dealing with many, many challenges and we don’t want the deadline to be the reason that someone doesn’t apply to college,” Mike Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the Cal State chancellor’s office, said. “We felt this would be helpful to prospective students who are weighing their options and ultimately want to make it as easy as possible to apply to a CSU campus.”
The Cal State system also encouraged students to visit the university’s financial aid website after applying to learn about options to finance their education. With annual tuition and fees at $7,360, CSU is one of the most affordable public universities in the nation, and 80% of its students receive some type of financial aid.
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The decision follows other pandemic-related changes the Cal State system has made, including suspending the use of SAT/ACT exam scores in the admissions process and accepting spring grades of “credit” or “pass” instead of letter grades for courses required for admission.
The system saw record enrollment in fall 2020, driven largely by increases in transfer students and the share of first-year students who stayed on.
The University of California also announced Sunday evening that it would push back its application deadline for all freshman and transfer applications from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 after its online application system experienced several hours of intermittent outages.
“We understand and regret the inconvenience and stress these technical disruptions may have had on applicants and their families,” UC said in a statement. “The University therefore decided to extend the deadline ... in hopes that the additional time will help reduce the anxiety around the application process and deadline.”


latimes--2020-12-01--Officials face backlash as anger over COVID-19 shutdowns intensifies in some quarters

With coronavirus cases soaring to dangerous new levels in Los Angeles County , some top officials are facing backlash over their push to slow the surge by restricting public activities .
On Sunday , protesters marched in front of the home of Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer .
Days later , a handful of people gathered outside Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl ’ s house in Santa Monica .
Both demonstrations , in which the majority of people were unmasked , were fairly small , but they reflect a growing political divide and vitriol over restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and skeptical of such measures despite the growing health risk .
Tuesday ’ s protest at Kuehl ’ s home comes on the heels of news that she dined out at a Santa Monica restaurant last Tuesday , hours after she voted to uphold a ban on outdoor dining in the county .
Kuehl did not violate any county rules because outdoor dining was still permitted at the time .
Kuehl confirmed that she did dine al fresco at Il Forno Trattoria near her house in Santa Monica on the day she and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down outdoor dining .
“ She loves Il Forno , has been saddened to see it , like so many restaurants , suffer from a decline in revenue , ” Kuehl ’ s communications director , Barbara Osborn , said in a statement .
According to the statement , Kuehl took appropriate precautions while dining on the last day permissible , “ and sadly will not dine there again until our public health orders permit.
” The closure was imposed by L.A. County Department of Public Health officials , not the supervisors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nov. 24 meeting by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn to overturn the recommendation .
The motion , however , was voted down , with Kuehl and Supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas opposing it .
“ This is the only business that allows its customers to remain , and often for quite a while , unmasked , ” Kuehl said of restaurants at the meeting last week .
“ And that , I think , is enough to single it out right there .
We tried , but the numbers have gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If you make a rule , you should follow it yourself , ” screamed one woman while standing on the sidewalk across from Kuehl ’ s house Tuesday on a quiet Santa Monica street .
The woman , like a half-dozen or so other protesters , declined to give her name .
Another protester said county health officials weren ’ t providing enough evidence to justify the dining ban , along with other restrictions , including a slightly less strict stay-at-home order than what was mandated in the spring .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m aware of that outdoor dining is dangerous , ” she said .
“ And all the people who are working [ at the restaurants ] , many of them are low-income people ; they ’ re going to be penalized the most.
” It was a similar argument made by a large industry group representing restaurants in a suit against county health officials last week .
However , an L.A. County Superior Court judge rejected the California Restaurant Assn .
's claim that the public health department needed to provide proof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Larry Aaronson , a Santa Monica resident who stopped to talk to the protesters , said he thought if a lockdown had happened sooner , the county would be in better shape now .
His local business , Eco Coastal Cleaners , has suffered tremendously amid the pandemic , but he said he trusted that public health officials were doing the right thing .
“ If it was shut down properly , if people were wearing masks from the very beginning , my business would be better by now , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home follows similar backlash against government officials as they work to stem the spread of the virus , which continues to rage unabated in the state .
The measures , which many health experts say are needed to avoid overwhelming hospitals as COVID-19 hit unprecedented levels , have caused economic misery for some businesses .
Added to that is the backlash over the behavior of some politicians , most notably Gov .
Gavin Newsom and his now infamous dinner at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa County .
Newsom has since expressed regret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political advisor , Jason Kinney , at the tony restaurant in Yountville on Nov. 6 .
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo took to social media on Tuesday to apologize for defying health orders by attending a Thanksgiving gathering with people from five households .
“ I understand my obligation as a public official to provide exemplary compliance with public health orders , & not to ignore them .
I commit to do better , ” he said in his Twitter mea culpa .
The state currently permits only three households to gather together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to attend large gatherings in a tweet the day before Thanksgiving .
Hours after that statement , the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Mayor London Breed attended a dinner at the French Laundry a day after Newsom .
Her spokesman described it as a “ small family birthday dinner , ” but declined to give further details .

A handful of people protest across the street from the home of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl in Santa Monica.
With coronavirus cases soaring to dangerous new levels in Los Angeles County, some top officials are facing backlash over their push to slow the surge by restricting public activities.
On Sunday, protesters marched in front of the home of Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
Days later, a handful of people gathered outside Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s house in Santa Monica.
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Both demonstrations, in which the majority of people were unmasked, were fairly small, but they reflect a growing political divide and vitriol over restrictions from a segment of the population weary and skeptical of such measures despite the growing health risk.
Tuesday’s protest at Kuehl’s home comes on the heels of news that she dined out at a Santa Monica restaurant last Tuesday, hours after she voted to uphold a ban on outdoor dining in the county.
Kuehl did not violate any county rules because outdoor dining was still permitted at the time.
Kuehl confirmed that she did dine alfresco at Il Forno Trattoria near her house in Santa Monica on the day she and two other county supervisors voted to shut down outdoor dining.
“She loves Il Forno, has been saddened to see it, like so many restaurants, suffer from a decline in revenue,” Kuehl’s communications director, Barbara Osborn, said in a statement.
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According to the statement, Kuehl took appropriate precautions while dining on the last day permissible, “and sadly will not dine there again until our public health orders permit.”
California L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges L.A. County public health officials on Saturday announced they will issue an order suspending outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.
The closure was imposed by L.A. County Department of Public Health officials, not the supervisors, but there was a motion at the Nov. 24 meeting by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn to overturn the recommendation. The motion, however, was voted down, with Kuehl and Supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas opposing it.
“This is the only business that allows its customers to remain, and often for quite a while, unmasked,” Kuehl said of restaurants at the meeting last week. “And that, I think, is enough to single it out right there. We tried, but the numbers have gone up.”
But protesters did not agree.
“If you make a rule, you should follow it yourself,” screamed one woman while standing on the sidewalk across from Kuehl’s house Tuesday on a quiet Santa Monica street. The woman, like a half-dozen or so other protesters, declined to give her name.
Another protester said county health officials weren’t providing enough evidence to justify the dining ban, along with other restrictions, including a slightly less strict stay-at-home order than what was mandated in the spring.
“There’s no proof that I’m aware of that outdoor dining is dangerous,” she said. “And all the people who are working [at the restaurants], many of them are low-income people; they’re going to be penalized the most.”
It was a similar argument made by a large industry group representing restaurants in a suit against county health officials last week. However, an L.A. County Superior Court judge rejected the California Restaurant Assn.’s claim that the public health department needed to provide proof for the ban to go forward.
Larry Aaronson, a Santa Monica resident who stopped to talk to the protesters, said he thought if a lockdown had happened sooner, the county would be in better shape now.
His local business, Eco Coastal Cleaners, has suffered tremendously amid the pandemic, but he said he trusted that public health officials were doing the right thing.
“If it was shut down properly, if people were wearing masks from the very beginning, my business would be better by now,” he said.
The protest outside Kuehl’s home follows similar backlash against government officials as they work to stem the spread of the virus, which continues to rage unabated in the state.
The measures, which many health experts say are needed to avoid overwhelming hospitals as COVID-19 hit unprecedented levels, have caused economic misery for some businesses.
Added to that is the backlash over the behavior of some politicians, most notably Gov. Gavin Newsom and his now infamous dinner at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa County. Newsom has since expressed regret for attending a birthday party for his political advisor, Jason Kinney, at the tony restaurant in Yountville on Nov. 6.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo took to social media on Tuesday to apologize for defying health orders by attending a Thanksgiving gathering with people from five households.
“I understand my obligation as a public official to provide exemplary compliance with public health orders, & not to ignore them. I commit to do better,” he said in his Twitter mea culpa.
The state currently permits only three households to gather together outdoors, and Liccardo himself urged people not to attend large gatherings in a tweet the day before Thanksgiving.
Hours after that statement, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Mayor London Breed attended a dinner at the French Laundry a day after Newsom. Her spokesman described it as a “small family birthday dinner,” but declined to give further details.


latimes--2020-12-01--L.A. County shatters daily COVID-19 record as infections reach alarming levels

Los Angeles County recorded a dramatic one-day rise in coronavirus cases Tuesday , shattering the single-day record and confirming the most dire forecasts about infections spreading ferociously as the holiday season gets underway .
Preliminary totals released by L.A. County reported about 7,000 new cases — the most in a single day , a sum that does not yet include new cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena , which operate their own independent public health departments and will release their numbers later Tuesday .
The previous single-day high for all of L.A. County was recorded on Nov. 23 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with 6,186 cases .
The unprecedented spread of infections in this third wave of the pandemic comes after local officials implemented some of the strictest coronavirus-related regulations the county has seen in months , and as state officials warn that even more drastic action , such as a version of a stay-at-home order implemented in the springtime , may be necessary before hospitals are overwhelmed with patients .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom on Monday said Southern California is forecast to run out of intensive care unit capacity by mid- to late December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eve , ICU beds are forecast to be at 107 % of capacity across the region .
While intensive care treatments have improved since the early days of the pandemic , all bets are off once ICUs are pushed beyond capacity .
“ If , all of a sudden , you have one nurse taking care of seven patients on ventilators like in New York , the mortality can be astronomical , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco .
More alarming , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections that occurred during Thanksgiving .
Because of the two-week incubation period , virus transmission that occurred over the holiday will show up in confirmed lab tests by roughly mid-December .
That influx could be accompanied by a jump in hospitalizations around Christmas and New Year ’ s Day , with a bump in deaths by mid-January .
At least 44 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Los Angeles County on Tuesday , not including fatalities from Pasadena and Long Beach .
That ’ s significantly higher than the daily average of reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day .
“ The most important action we can all take to stop the surge is to stay home as much as possible , ” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said .
With the coronavirus more widespread than it ’ s ever been , she said during a briefing Monday that “ gathering with individuals from outside your household , even outdoors , can increase the risk ” of infection .
In the face of the increases , county officials this week rolled out a “ targeted safer-at-home order ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It closes public playgrounds ; places new capacity limits on retail stores , outdoor museums , galleries , zoos and aquariums ; and prohibits all gatherings among people from different households , except for outdoor religious services and political demonstrations .
“ Yes , we ’ re asking a lot .
Yes , people are going to need to make more sacrifices , ” Ferrer said .
“ But if we don ’ t get this virus under control , it will cost all of us dearly.
” The deteriorating situation seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide .
California on Monday again recorded its most coronavirus cases in a single day amid a sustained and alarming wave in infections that threatens to swamp hospitals statewide .
The number of newly confirmed infections reported , 21,848 , surpasses the previous high of 20,654 set a week ago , according to data compiled by The Times .
The latest figure was partially inflated by reporting lags stemming from the Thanksgiving holiday .
By Monday night , California was averaging about 14,000 coronavirus cases a day over a seven-day period — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire pandemic .
The new record marks a distressing end to a month that saw the resurgent pandemic roar to never-before-seen heights in California .
About 298,000 of the state ’ s more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases were diagnosed in November alone , the most of any single month .
California ’ s recent numbers , though unprecedented , remain lower than many other states when adjusted for population .
Over the last seven days , California has averaged 37.1 new cases per day per 100,000 residents — tied for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
While some of the state ’ s exponential growth stems from ramped-up testing , officials say the rate of tests coming back positive has also increased — demonstrating that the coronavirus is becoming more widespread .
The statewide 14-day positivity rate has risen to 6.5 % , a marked increase over where it was roughly two weeks prior , 4.7 % .
“ That rate of growth on the cases , as well as positivity rate , is of concern , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefing Monday .
Policymakers and public health officials worry how the skyrocketing infection numbers will eventually affect California ’ s hospitals .
State health officials have estimated that 12 % of those who have tested positive for the virus are hospitalized two to three weeks later — meaning that the recent high case counts would push even more people into the professional healthcare system .
That ’ s a particularly harrowing possibility , given that the number of COVID-19 patients in California ’ s hospitals is already growing at an unprecedented rate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in California with COVID-19 is now about 333 patients a day over the last week , according to a Times analysis .
The acceleration is twice as bad as the summertime surge , which saw the average net increase in hospitalizations top out at 173 patients a day over a weeklong period in late June .
Officials are keeping an especially close watch on California ’ s intensive care unit capacity .
According to numbers Newsom presented Monday , about 75 % of the state ’ s 7,733 ICU beds are occupied — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients .
Given the way things are trending , the state could exhaust its existing ICU capacity by mid-December , Newsom said .
The rural counties of Northern California could exceed ICU capacity by early December , Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley by mid-December , the Sacramento area by late December and the Bay Area by early January .
Providing ICU-level care usually entails “ specialized space , specialized equipment and specialized staff ” — meaning that , while hospitals can expand their capacities , their ability to do so is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghaly , California ’ s health and human services secretary .
The “ bottom line is we are looking at intensive care unit capacity as the primary trigger for deeper , more restrictive actions , ” he said Monday , as “ when that capacity goes away or even when it gets stretched so far that staffing is stretched , that we have to have set up space that isn ’ t typically used for intensive care units , we know that the quality of care ... sometimes takes a dip , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to see ” because resources are spread too thin .
Overall , there were 8,240 coronavirus patients hospitalized statewide as of Monday , according to the latest available data .
That ’ s more than triple the hospitalization rate on Nov. 2 , when there were 2,602 .
It ’ s also the highest number recorded during the pandemic and the third consecutive day the record for COVID-19 hospitalizations has been broken .
The overall figure tells only part of the story , though .
Given California ’ s immense and geographically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the state ’ s healthcare system in different ways .
“ Some counties in California don ’ t themselves have a hospital , certainly don ’ t have many ICU beds , so they depend on regional networks of hospitals , different systems coming together , ” Ghaly said .
“ So we are looking at this from a regional basis ... because what matters is if a patient needs care and they can ’ t get it in a hospital in their community , in their county , then we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ hospitals are able to serve those individuals.
” As the surge in newly confirmed cases continues , officials are warning they may need to resort to drastic restrictions to change the state ’ s trajectory .
Those could include a new stay-at-home order for areas in the strictest , purple tier of California ’ s coronavirus reopening system , according to Newsom .
Specifics as to when such an order may be handed down , or what precise form it would take , remain scarce at this point — though Newsom pledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some additional information , some additional recommendations in the very , very near future.
” While the notion of a stay-at-home order brings to mind the rapid , widespread lockdown of businesses and public spaces seen during the early days of the pandemic , state officials said they are endeavoring to be more precise in their approach this time .
“ One of the most important things we ’ ve learned is we can be not just more surgical with what we do , but we can really prescribe it for a shorter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Ghaly said .
“ Early on , some of those orders really were open-ended ; we weren ’ t sure .
Today , we know that we can get impact from certain interventions in a reliable way more quickly , and that ’ s part of what we ’ re considering.
” While many local officials and residents have pushed the state to be even more targeted — catering restrictions and enforcement efforts toward specific sectors or even individual businesses and facilities that data show are a source of spread — Ghaly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread that “ everyone is somewhat vulnerable to having an encounter with somebody who ’ s infected.
” “ Everybody wants us to identify the sector where spread is happening , and the truth is , when you have this level of community spread , it ’ s happening in our communities , first and foremost , ” he said .
“ So the minute you walk in the door of any entity indoors , the chance of encountering someone with COVID who can actually transmit it is higher than it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional shutdowns may increase resentment levels , officials stressed there is light at the end of the tunnel — including the potentially imminent arrival of a vaccine .
Newsom said California expects to receive approximately 327,000 doses of Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 vaccine within the next few weeks .
While no means a silver bullet — as widespread rollout to the general public is still likely months away — officials said the prospect of even a limited number of doses is still a silver lining .
“ Our most vulnerable could be getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be getting vaccinated in just a matter of weeks — opening the gateway to so many more receiving this important tool to protect us , ” Ghaly said .

Nurse Cianna Christopher joins other medical professionals in a demonstration for more support outside Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.
Los Angeles County recorded a dramatic one-day rise in coronavirus cases Tuesday, shattering the single-day record and confirming some of the most dire forecasts about infections spreading ferociously as the holiday season gets underway.
The surge in cases renewed worries about how the healthcare system will handle a crush of new patients, with some hospitals already approaching capacity. The numbers put more pressure on state and local officials to enact a tougher stay-at-home order in hopes of slowing the spread. Officials feared the Thanksgiving holiday period would bring a flood of new cases, and there are growing concerns the spike is far from over.
L.A. County is now forecasting up to 8,000 new coronavirus cases a day by the end of this week and potentially 9,000 a day by the middle or end of next week, according to a source who listened to a briefing given by county health officials.
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‘The worst day thus far’
L.A. County on Tuesday reported more than 7,500 new cases — the most in a single day, which the director of public health called “the worst day thus far” of the pandemic. The previous single-day high for all of L.A. County was recorded on Nov. 23, according to The Times’ independent tally, with 6,186 cases.
“It will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.
With Tuesday’s tally of 7,532 cases, L.A. County is close to averaging 5,000 coronavirus cases a day over the last week — an astonishing quintupling of the figure from mid-October, when there were only about 1,000 cases a day. Even in the summertime surge, which had been the worst of the pandemic, L.A. County maxed out at about 3,300 cases a day.
Hospitalizations have more than tripled since Halloween, when there were about 800 people hospitalized, and surged past 2,400 on Monday. It was the second-consecutive day that the high for hospitalizations in L.A. County has been broken, and a number that’s 9% higher that the peak from the summer wave.
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The unprecedented spread of infections in this third wave of the pandemic comes as local officials implemented some of the strictest coronavirus-related regulations the county has seen in months, and as state officials warn that even more drastic action, such as a version of a stay-at-home order implemented in the springtime, may be necessary before hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.
ICUs may be beyond capacity by mid-December
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said Southern California is forecast to run out of intensive care unit capacity by mid- to late December if current trends continued. By Christmas Eve, ICU beds are forecast to be at 107% of capacity across the region. While intensive care treatments have improved since the early days of the pandemic, all bets are off once ICUs are pushed beyond capacity.
“If, all of a sudden, you have one nurse taking care of seven patients on ventilators like in New York, the mortality can be astronomical,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco.
More alarming, the cases reported Tuesday don’t represent infections that occurred during Thanksgiving. Because of the virus’ incubation period of up to two weeks, transmission that occurred over the holiday will show up in confirmed lab tests by roughly mid-December. That influx could be accompanied by a jump in hospitalizations around Christmas and New Year’s Day, with a bump in deaths by mid-January.
Forty-six coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Los Angeles County on Tuesday. That’s significantly higher than the daily average of reported deaths over the last week, which has been about 30 a day.
In the face of the increases, county officials on Monday enacted a “targeted safer-at-home order” that is in effect through Dec. 20. It closes public playgrounds; places new capacity limits on retail stores, outdoor museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums; and prohibits all gatherings among people from different households, except for outdoor religious services and political demonstrations.
Hospital beds filling faster than ever
The deteriorating situation seen in L.A. County is also playing out statewide, where more than 1.24 million people have been infected and more than 19,300 have died.
On Monday, statewide hospitalizations broke another record for the third consecutive day, with 8,240 people hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s 15% worse that the previous high in the summer, when hospitalizations topped out at 7,170.
The average net increase in people hospitalized in California with COVID-19 is now about 342 patients a day over the last week, according to a Times analysis. The acceleration is twice as bad as the summertime surge, which saw the average net increase in hospitalizations top out at 173 patients a day over a weeklong period in late June.
San Francisco officials signaled they may impose their own quarantine order for travelers and further reduce indoor capacity at businesses, similar to a new order issued by Santa Clara County on Monday, and would not rule out banning outdoor restaurant dining, a step L.A. County took last week.
“What we are seeing now is a spike unlike anything we have seen since the beginning of this pandemic,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said. “We are in trouble, and we are sounding the alarm.”
‘Hospital bed shortage by Christmas’
San Francisco is in the middle of a major surge that threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system, and the daily coronavirus case rate is not expected to stabilize soon, warned its director of health, Dr. Grant Colfax. With many people ignoring calls to stay home over Thanksgiving, “we know, unfortunately, that the worst is likely yet to come,” Colfax said. “If this trend continues, we will see a hospital bed shortage around Christmas.”
The most recent statewide seven-day positivity rate was 6.5%, double what was recorded on election day, when the positivity rate was 3.2%. The daily positivity rate for L.A. County is worsening dramatically, with officials reporting a daily rate of nearly 12% on Tuesday, up from 7% a week earlier.
Policymakers and public health officials worry how the skyrocketing infection numbers will eventually affect California’s hospitals.
Providing ICU-level care usually entails “specialized space, specialized equipment and specialized staff” — meaning that, while hospitals can expand their capacities, their ability to do so is not infinite, according to Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary.
When intensive care unit staffing is stretched, Ghaly said, “we know that the quality of care ... sometimes takes a dip, and we see outcomes we don’t want to see” because resources are spread too thin.
A more targeted ‘stay-at-home’ order?
As the surge in newly confirmed cases continues, officials are warning they may need to resort to drastic restrictions to change the state’s trajectory.
Those could include a new stay-at-home order for areas in the strictest, purple tier of California’s coronavirus reopening system, according to Newsom.
Specifics as to when such an order may be handed down, or what precise form it would take, remain scarce at this point — though Newsom pledged “we will be coming out with some additional information, some additional recommendations in the very, very near future.”
While the notion of a stay-at-home order brings to mind the rapid, widespread lockdown of businesses and public spaces seen during the early days of the pandemic, state officials said they are endeavoring to be more precise in their approach this time.
“One of the most important things we’ve learned is we can be not just more surgical with what we do, but we can really prescribe it for a shorter or a different amount of time,” Ghaly said. “Early on, some of those orders really were open-ended; we weren’t sure. Today, we know that we can get impact from certain interventions in a reliable way more quickly, and that’s part of what we’re considering.”
While many local officials and residents have pushed the state to be even more targeted — catering restrictions and enforcement efforts toward specific sectors or even individual businesses and facilities that data show are a source of spread — Ghaly said transmission of the coronavirus is so widespread that “everyone is somewhat vulnerable to having an encounter with somebody who’s infected.”
“Everybody wants us to identify the sector where spread is happening, and the truth is, when you have this level of community spread, it’s happening in our communities, first and foremost,” he said. “So the minute you walk in the door of any entity indoors, the chance of encountering someone with COVID who can actually transmit it is higher than it’s ever been.”
Hope for vaccine rises
Though the possibility of additional shutdowns may increase resentment levels among the public, officials emphasized that there is light at the end of the tunnel — including the potentially imminent arrival of a vaccine.
Newsom said California expects to receive about 327,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine within the next few weeks.
While it won’t be a silver bullet — as widespread rollout to the general public is likely months away — officials said the prospect of even a limited number of doses is still a silver lining.
“Our most vulnerable could be getting vaccinated, our front-line healthcare workers could be getting vaccinated in just a matter of weeks — opening the gateway to so many more receiving this important tool to protect us,” said Ghaly.
Times staff writers Maura Dolan, Sean Greene and Ryan Murphy contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-01--After outcry, L.A. reinstates COVID-19 testing upended by Union Station film shoot

Following outcry over the cancellation of coronavirus testing at Union Station to make room for a movie shoot , the city scrambled to ensure that the facility was open and accepting patients Tuesday .
In a tweet sent Tuesday just after midnight , Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti nixed the controversial decision to close the downtown testing site amid the worst coronavirus surge the state has seen since the beginning of the pandemic .
The announcement came after more than 500 Angelenos were informed Monday afternoon that their next-day appointments had been canceled .
A volunteer with the Koreatown-based homeless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was one of the people who received the cancellation email Monday from Curative , the largest public testing agency in the city .
The group shared that email , along with a message of outrage , on Twitter .
“ In the middle of a horrible and terrifying COVID spike , LA just cancelled all of its Dec 1 appointments at Union Station ( one of the only transit-accessible facilities ) with less than 24hrs notice because of A FILM SHOOT !
!
, ” the tweet read .
By Tuesday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ktown for All spokesman Devon Manney said the group decided to share the message because it was incensed by the decision , which came on the same day California broke its single-day record for coronavirus cases .
“ It ’ s beyond frustrating and aggravating , ” Manney said .
“ The city is ruining its own ability to be trusted with COVID info .
It has for eight and nine months completely botched response after response because it prioritizes economic good over the lives of people who are calling out for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being filmed at Union Station , “ He ’ s All That , ” is a remake of the 1999 film “ She ’ s All That ” and features TikTok star Addison Rae .
The Miramax production is slated to shoot inside the transportation hub with a crew of about 170 people , according to Philip Sokoloski , a spokesman for film permit agency FilmLA .
Sokoloski said Tuesday that the cancellation was not made at the request of anyone connected to the film ’ s production .
“ FilmLA did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closure of a city-operated COVID-19 testing center to accommodate filming , ” he said .
“ Today , more than ever , is a time for filmmakers to keep the needs of the community in mind.
” After learning of the planned shutdown , the city immediately contacted the 504 people scheduled for a Dec. 1 test at Union Station to let them know their appointments would be honored at any of the other 14 city testing locations , including a site at the North Hollywood Metro station , said Andrea Garcia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
But Manney said that offer was an affront to people who rely on public transit for access to testing facilities , including low-income communities and communities of color who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus .
“ It ’ s an unreal level of negligence and complete callousness to individuals that don ’ t have a car , ” he said , noting that getting to the North Hollywood station from downtown by transit would require people to spend more money and ride for up to 45 minutes in an enclosed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s an incredible disregard for people who use public transit , ” he said .
One of 10 permanent testing sites operated by the city of Los Angeles , the Union Station site tests 350 to 400 people daily , or about 1.5 % of the city ’ s total capacity .
Downtown Los Angeles has one of the higher case rates in the city , according to The Times ’ tracker .
It was initially unclear who made the decision to cancel testing at the station .
Garcia said the property management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor ’ s office Monday afternoon that the testing kiosk would need to be closed .
“ As soon as this was brought to our attention , we began efforts to reopen it , ” she said Tuesday .
Ralph Barnes , vice president of Morlin Asset Management , which handles property and facility management for Union Station , said the cancellation was the result of a misunderstanding .
“ We ’ re proud that Union Station has been and continues to serve as a valuable and readily accessible free resource for COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This was an unfortunate mix-up between everyone involved in making these tests possible , including the station , Curative and government officials , which led to the mistaken cancellation of today ’ s tests , which we ’ re happy to report was corrected last night.
” In a statement issued Tuesday , Curative confirmed that the site was open for normal operation .
“ Curative has spoken to the mayor ’ s office and our Union Station testing site will be opened today , December 1st , to all patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as any walk-up appointments that the site allows for , ” they said .
Garcia said that the testing site opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday , its regular time , and that everyone with appointments was notified by email of its opening that morning .
“ We remain committed to providing free tests , with results provided within 24 to 48 hours , and are scheduled to test more than 38,000 Angelenos today , ” she said .

A coronavirus testing center at Union Station that had been set to close for a movie shoot was open and accepting appointments Tuesday morning.
Following outcry over the cancellation of coronavirus testing at Union Station to make room for a movie shoot, the city scrambled to ensure that the facility was open and accepting patients Tuesday.
In a tweet sent Tuesday just after midnight, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti nixed the controversial decision to close the downtown testing site amid the worst coronavirus surge the state has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
The announcement came after more than 500 Angelenos were informed Monday afternoon that their next-day appointments had been canceled.
Working with @LAFD, @Curative & @MetroLosAngeles, my team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday. The 504 Angelenos who were scheduled for a test there can visit the kiosk as originally planned or any of the other 14 City sites, where we offer 38K tests daily. — MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) December 1, 2020
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A volunteer with the Koreatown-based homeless outreach and advocacy group Ktown for All was one of the people who received the cancellation email Monday from Curative, the largest public testing agency in the city.
The group shared that email, along with a message of outrage, on Twitter.
“In the middle of a horrible and terrifying COVID spike, LA just cancelled all of its Dec 1 appointments at Union Station (one of the only transit-accessible facilities) with less than 24hrs notice because of A FILM SHOOT!!,” the tweet read.
By Tuesday morning, it had received more than 3,000 likes.
In the middle of a horrible and terrifying COVID spike, LA just cancelled all of its Dec 1 appointments at Union Station (one of the only transit-accessible facilities) with less than 24hrs notice because of A FILM SHOOT!! @MayorOfLA @metrolosangeles @lapublichealth WTF???!!??? pic.twitter.com/zwR36TH4G4 — Ktown for All 💜❤ (@KtownforAll) December 1, 2020
Ktown for All spokesman Devon Manney said the group decided to share the message because it was incensed by the decision, which came on the same day California broke its single-day record for coronavirus cases.
“It’s beyond frustrating and aggravating,” Manney said. “The city is ruining its own ability to be trusted with COVID info. It has for eight and nine months completely botched response after response because it prioritizes economic good over the lives of people who are calling out for any sort of assistance.”
The movie being filmed at Union Station, “He’s All That,” is a remake of the 1999 film “She’s All That” and features TikTok star Addison Rae. The Miramax production is slated to shoot inside the transportation hub with a crew of about 170 people, according to Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for film permit agency FilmLA.
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Sokoloski said Tuesday that the cancellation was not made at the request of anyone connected to the film’s production.
“FilmLA did not, and never would, seek the closure of a city-operated COVID-19 testing center to accommodate filming,” he said. “Today, more than ever, is a time for filmmakers to keep the needs of the community in mind.”
After learning of the planned shutdown, the city immediately contacted the 504 people scheduled for a Dec. 1 test at Union Station to let them know their appointments would be honored at any of the other 14 city testing locations, including a site at the North Hollywood Metro station, said Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.
But Manney said that offer was an affront to people who rely on public transit for access to testing facilities, including low-income communities and communities of color who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus.
“It’s an unreal level of negligence and complete callousness to individuals that don’t have a car,” he said, noting that getting to the North Hollywood station from downtown by transit would require people to spend more money and ride for up to 45 minutes in an enclosed train.
“I think it’s an incredible disregard for people who use public transit,” he said.
One of 10 permanent testing sites operated by the city of Los Angeles, the Union Station site tests 350 to 400 people daily, or about 1.5% of the city’s total capacity. Downtown Los Angeles has one of the higher case rates in the city, according to The Times’ tracker.
It was initially unclear who made the decision to cancel testing at the station. Garcia said the property management company for Union Station had notified the mayor’s office Monday afternoon that the testing kiosk would need to be closed.
“As soon as this was brought to our attention, we began efforts to reopen it,” she said Tuesday.
Ralph Barnes, vice president of Morlin Asset Management, which handles property and facility management for Union Station, said the cancellation was the result of a misunderstanding.
“We’re proud that Union Station has been and continues to serve as a valuable and readily accessible free resource for COVID testing for Angelenos,” Barnes said. “This was an unfortunate mix-up between everyone involved in making these tests possible, including the station, Curative and government officials, which led to the mistaken cancellation of today’s tests, which we’re happy to report was corrected last night.”
In a statement issued Tuesday, Curative confirmed that the site was open for normal operation.
“Curative has spoken to the mayor’s office and our Union Station testing site will be opened today, December 1st, to all patients who have signed up for an appointment as well as any walk-up appointments that the site allows for,” they said.
Garcia said that the testing site opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday, its regular time, and that everyone with appointments was notified by email of its opening that morning.
“We remain committed to providing free tests, with results provided within 24 to 48 hours, and are scheduled to test more than 38,000 Angelenos today,” she said.


latimes--2020-12-01--San Fernando Valley's Latino neighborhoods staggered by L.A. County virus outbreak

There was no way for Carolina Sanchez to isolate from her family after testing positive two weeks ago for the coronavirus .
She lived in a room with her four children at a Vagabond Inn in Sylmar in the northeast San Fernando Valley .
They and Sanchez ’ s sister , who looked after the kids , also contracted the virus .
This was the cost of being a low-wage worker living in crowded conditions .
It was a cost exacted from Latinos above almost any other group .
“ It is scary knowing that you could go out there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reaching unprecedented levels in California , the pandemic is once again stalking low-income , working-class , majority Latino neighborhoods with particular aggressiveness , according to a Times data analysis .
In Los Angeles County , a COVID-19 hotbed , five of the 25 communities with the are in the northeast San Fernando Valley — in areas that are home to large numbers of “ essential ” workers at prime risk of infection and include ZIP Codes with high rates of crowded housing .
Some are plagued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bustling freeways , a railroad line and dozens of industrial facilities , as well as a power plant that for three years had been leaking methane .
Near the top of this troubling list is the city of San Fernando , which has an infection rate two times greater than that of L.A. County as a whole .
Its rate as of this weekend was 1,044 cases per 100,000 people , compared with the county ’ s rate of 496 per 100,000 , according to government records .
Also badly hit is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an infection rate of 993 per 100,000 people .
The Valley neighborhoods Arleta , Sylmar and Van Nuys are also on that list .
Although 11 % of homes in L.A. County are considered crowded , some of the neighborhoods with the highest rates of infection — including Pacoima and Arleta — have rates of crowding twice as high , according to a Times analysis .
A Times analysis of communities statewide showed that other heavily Latino areas are among the hardest hit by the pandemic .
Such communities along the 10 Freeway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s highest case rates , including in Bloomington , Colton , Fontana , Montclair , Rialto and San Bernardino , as well as those in the high desert , such as Adelanto , Hesperia and Victorville .
They stretched statewide , in border communities in San Diego and Imperial counties , such as Calexico and San Ysidro ; agricultural communities in the Central Valley and Coachella Valley ; and a community in Berkeley , where an outbreak has spread among hundreds of workers at the Golden Gate Fields racetrack .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment in essential frontline jobs where there ’ s a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus , according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center ; 55 % of Latinos work in such jobs , and 48 % of Black residents do as well , compared with 35 % for white residents .
As of Nov. 7 , Latino residents were being hospitalized at an age-adjusted weekly rate of about 10.5 per 100,000 , or more than double the rate of 3.8 hospitalizations per 100,000 white residents .
( Statistics that are adjusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ethnic groups provide more meaningful comparisons , according to epidemiologists . )
The disparity in death rates had been declining but could worsen as the death toll rises .
In July , the nonprofit Meet Each Need With Dignity , which runs an emergency food bank in Pacoima , began conducting a housing survey of new clients and collected data on 414 households in the northeast San Fernando Valley .
The survey indicated that 41 % of those residents shared a household with another family , and more than 30 % lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobile home .
About 8 % lived in a garage .
“ Most live in some sort of substandard [ housing ] , ” said Janet Marinaccio , president and chief executive of MEND .
“ There can be a family of six living in a garage .
They ’ ll double up and triple up .
You might have four families , one in each bedroom and living room.
” This week , the L.A. County Department of Public Health expanded testing in this corner of the Valley .
It also increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the help of promotoras , trained lay health workers who can provide information about the pandemic to the public , including in Spanish .
, the county dedicated about $ 30 million to the program as cases of the coronavirus soared .
The alarming number of people becoming infected in the San Fernando Valley is due to a variety of reasons , including colder weather forcing more people to cluster indoors .
Barbara Ferrer , the L.A. County director of public health , believes a false sense of security has also settled in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think it may more reflect the gatherings and the parties , the mixing with people not in your household , ” she said .
“ And one problem with this virus is , once the rates go up , it can kind of feed upon itself.
” Gladys Ayala , co-founder and chairwoman of Chicas Mom Inc. , a nonprofit that aims to empower and educate women in the Valley , said shame and inconsistent information from the White House increased doubt about the seriousness of the coronavirus .
She said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and infected her family .
“ The president had a lot to do with this , ” she said .
“ He minimized this so much that people didn ’ t believe it.
” Ayala said she had all the classic symptoms , losing her sense of smell and taste and feeling fatigued .
Her husband , who is diabetic and has high blood pressure , was hospitalized for three weeks .
They both recovered .
Her two children , ages 19 and 15 , tested positive but didn ’ t develop any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mom living with her kids in a motel , said she had returned from working a shift at the 99 Cents Only store when she felt sick .
She developed chills , lost her appetite and had trouble breathing .
After three days in bed with a fever , she went to get tested and found out she had COVID-19 .
“ I had always tried to stay safe with my mask on , ” she said .
“ I wear my gloves and keep my distance as people come in.
” For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four children — ages , 3 , 4 , 5 and 8 — and her sister in their room .
She said none of the children developed symptoms .
The situation was another marker in Sanchez ’ s hard life .
She ’ s a domestic violence survivor , and for five months she lived in her car with her children after being evicted from their home .
A year and a half ago , she enrolled in an L.A. housing program that pays for a large portion of her rent at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 275 a month .
Family members come by to drop off meals outside her motel room .
She said the children had grown antsy because they wanted to go outdoors .
She said her 8-year-old , Nathan , who is attending classes online , had a hard time concentrating on school .
“ The space is limited , so he has his brothers jumping up and down in the background , ” she said .
“ I have teachers call me and tell me Nathan needs to be in a quiet place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest surge in COVID-19 cases erupted , 34-year-old Pacoima resident and community activist Silvia Anguiano picked up the phone to reach out to nonprofits like Homies Unidos , 2nd Call and Partido Nacional de La Raza Unidas .
Anguiano was particularly worried about how the pandemic could tear through the community of immigrants living in the country illegally .
“ One out of two immigrant people in the community don ’ t know where to get tested , so we need to bring some kind of education … to our food distribution ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an organizer and co-founder of Homies Unidos , a gang-intervention nonprofit that also aims to empower youth .
Two weeks ago , the group had its first food giveaway event outside Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park in Pacoima .
Black and Latino volunteers wore masks and gloves as they unloaded boxes filled with milk , hummus , watermelons and vegetables while cumbia music blasted from a speaker in the background .
The event caught the attention of people driving by and residents living around the park , who arrived with shopping carts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given loaves of bread and bottles of hand sanitizer while volunteers filled large bags with groceries .
When the group had its second food giveaway at the park on Thursday , the lines stretched around the block .
Melba Martinez , 45 , who is from Honduras , walked about three miles from her apartment in Pacoima with her 12-year-old daughter , Daniela , to pick up food .
Martinez lost her job cleaning houses in March when the pandemic first started to bear down in Southern California .
That work paid her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , Martinez has fallen behind on her monthly $ 1,500 rent .
She was forced not only to borrow money from her sister to make rent , but also to depend on church food distribution sites to feed her two children .
Martinez says she lives in a state of constant worry .
She left her homeland for a better life .
But now , it ’ s hard to imagine that goal has been accomplished .
Martinez said the apartment building she lived in seemed ripe for the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions , and she knows that some people have become infected .
“ My neighbor upstairs lives with two other families , and she told me one of the people who lives there got … everyone sick , ” she said .
“ Downstairs from me are two families living in an apartment , and they ’ ve all gotten infected.
” Martinez wonders whether the number of people who have the coronavirus is actually higher than people know .
She said some people had made an earnest plea to her : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Please don ’ t tell anyone that I got COVID-19.
’ ” Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II , Ryan Menezes and Sean Greene contributed to this report .

COVID-19 victims are included in a Day of the Dead memorial last month at the office of L.A. City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez at Pacoima City Hall.
There was no way for Carolina Sanchez to isolate from her family after testing positive two weeks ago for the coronavirus.
She lived in a room with her four children at a Vagabond Inn in Sylmar in the northeast San Fernando Valley. They and Sanchez’s sister, who looked after the kids, also contracted the virus. This was the cost of being a low-wage worker living in crowded conditions. It was a cost exacted from Latinos above almost any other group.
“It is scary knowing that you could go out there and get sick again,” Sanchez said.
With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations reaching unprecedented levels in California, the pandemic is once again stalking low-income, working-class, majority Latino neighborhoods with particular aggressiveness, according to a Times data analysis.
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In Los Angeles County, a COVID-19 hotbed, five of the 25 communities with the highest infection rates are in the northeast San Fernando Valley — in areas that are home to large numbers of “essential” workers at prime risk of infection and include ZIP Codes with high rates of crowded housing. Some are plagued with pollution and are encircled by three bustling freeways, a railroad line and dozens of industrial facilities, as well as a power plant that for three years had been leaking methane.
Near the top of this troubling list is the city of San Fernando, which has an infection rate two times greater than that of L.A. County as a whole. Its rate as of this weekend was 1,044 cases per 100,000 people, compared with the county’s rate of 496 per 100,000, according to government records. Also badly hit is the L.A. neighborhood of Pacoima, which has an infection rate of 993 per 100,000 people.
The Valley neighborhoods Arleta, Sylmar and Van Nuys are also on that list.
Although 11% of homes in L.A. County are considered crowded, some of the neighborhoods with the highest rates of infection — including Pacoima and Arleta — have rates of crowding twice as high, according to a Times analysis.
The trend reaches beyond Los Angeles.
A Times analysis of communities statewide showed that other heavily Latino areas are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Such communities along the 10 Freeway corridor in San Bernardino County have among the state’s highest case rates, including in Bloomington, Colton, Fontana, Montclair, Rialto and San Bernardino, as well as those in the high desert, such as Adelanto, Hesperia and Victorville.
They stretched statewide, in border communities in San Diego and Imperial counties, such as Calexico and San Ysidro; agricultural communities in the Central Valley and Coachella Valley; and a community in Berkeley, where an outbreak has spread among hundreds of workers at the Golden Gate Fields racetrack.
Latino workers have the highest rate of employment in essential frontline jobs where there’s a higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center; 55% of Latinos work in such jobs, and 48% of Black residents do as well, compared with 35% for white residents.
Michael Villalobos, a community intervention worker with Soledad Enrichment Action, carries a bag of donated groceries for Kameo Allen, right, of Lake View Terrace and her daughter Bella, 3, on Nov. 12. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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As of Nov. 7, Latino residents were being hospitalized at an age-adjusted weekly rate of about 10.5 per 100,000, or more than double the rate of 3.8 hospitalizations per 100,000 white residents. (Statistics that are adjusted to account for age differences among racial and ethnic groups provide more meaningful comparisons, according to epidemiologists.) The disparity in death rates had been declining but could worsen as the death toll rises.
In July, the nonprofit Meet Each Need With Dignity, which runs an emergency food bank in Pacoima, began conducting a housing survey of new clients and collected data on 414 households in the northeast San Fernando Valley. The survey indicated that 41% of those residents shared a household with another family, and more than 30% lived in a back house, room or mobile home. About 8% lived in a garage.
“Most live in some sort of substandard [housing],” said Janet Marinaccio, president and chief executive of MEND. “There can be a family of six living in a garage. They’ll double up and triple up. You might have four families, one in each bedroom and living room.”
This week, the L.A. County Department of Public Health expanded testing in this corner of the Valley. It also increased outreach efforts in the Latino community with the help of promotoras, trained lay health workers who can provide information about the pandemic to the public, including in Spanish.
Early last month , the county dedicated about $30 million to the program as cases of the coronavirus soared.
The alarming number of people becoming infected in the San Fernando Valley is due to a variety of reasons, including colder weather forcing more people to cluster indoors. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County director of public health, believes a false sense of security has also settled in among a lot of people.
“I think it may more reflect the gatherings and the parties, the mixing with people not in your household,” she said. “And one problem with this virus is, once the rates go up, it can kind of feed upon itself.”
Gladys Ayala, chairwoman of the nonprofit Chicas Mom Inc., says President Trump “minimized” the coronavirus “so much that people didn’t believe it.” (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Gladys Ayala, co-founder and chairwoman of Chicas Mom Inc., a nonprofit that aims to empower and educate women in the Valley, said shame and inconsistent information from the White House increased doubt about the seriousness of the coronavirus. She said she tested positive for the coronavirus in May and infected her family.
“The president had a lot to do with this,” she said. “He minimized this so much that people didn’t believe it.”
Ayala said she had all the classic symptoms, losing her sense of smell and taste and feeling fatigued. Her husband, who is diabetic and has high blood pressure, was hospitalized for three weeks. They both recovered. Her two children, ages 19 and 15, tested positive but didn’t develop any symptoms.
Sanchez, 28, the mom living with her kids in a motel, said she had returned from working a shift at the 99 Cents Only store when she felt sick. She developed chills, lost her appetite and had trouble breathing. After three days in bed with a fever, she went to get tested and found out she had COVID-19.
“I had always tried to stay safe with my mask on,” she said. “I wear my gloves and keep my distance as people come in.”
For two weeks, she quarantined with her four children — ages, 3, 4, 5 and 8 — and her sister in their room. She said none of the children developed symptoms.
The situation was another marker in Sanchez’s hard life. She’s a domestic violence survivor, and for five months she lived in her car with her children after being evicted from their home.
A year and a half ago, she enrolled in an L.A. housing program that pays for a large portion of her rent at the hotel. Sanchez says she pays about $275 a month.
Family members come by to drop off meals outside her motel room. She said the children had grown antsy because they wanted to go outdoors. She said her 8-year-old, Nathan, who is attending classes online, had a hard time concentrating on school.
“The space is limited, so he has his brothers jumping up and down in the background,” she said. “I have teachers call me and tell me Nathan needs to be in a quiet place to do his homework.”
When the latest surge in COVID-19 cases erupted, 34-year-old Pacoima resident and community activist Silvia Anguiano picked up the phone to reach out to nonprofits like Homies Unidos, 2nd Call and Partido Nacional de La Raza Unidas.
Anguiano was particularly worried about how the pandemic could tear through the community of immigrants living in the country illegally.
“One out of two immigrant people in the community don’t know where to get tested, so we need to bring some kind of education … to our food distribution” program, said Alex Sanchez, 49, an organizer and co-founder of Homies Unidos, a gang-intervention nonprofit that also aims to empower youth.
Two weeks ago, the group had its first food giveaway event outside Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park in Pacoima. Black and Latino volunteers wore masks and gloves as they unloaded boxes filled with milk, hummus, watermelons and vegetables while cumbia music blasted from a speaker in the background.
The event caught the attention of people driving by and residents living around the park, who arrived with shopping carts and baby carriages. They were all given loaves of bread and bottles of hand sanitizer while volunteers filled large bags with groceries.
When the group had its second food giveaway at the park on Thursday, the lines stretched around the block. Melba Martinez, 45, who is from Honduras, walked about three miles from her apartment in Pacoima with her 12-year-old daughter, Daniela, to pick up food. Martinez lost her job cleaning houses in March when the pandemic first started to bear down in Southern California. That work paid her about $2,000 a month.
Since then, Martinez has fallen behind on her monthly $1,500 rent. She was forced not only to borrow money from her sister to make rent, but also to depend on church food distribution sites to feed her two children.
Melba Martinez and 12-year-old daughter Daniela sit at a picnic table at Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park in Pacoima. (Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times)
Martinez says she lives in a state of constant worry.
She left her homeland for a better life. But now, it’s hard to imagine that goal has been accomplished. Martinez said the apartment building she lived in seemed ripe for the spread of the coronavirus. Many families live in cramped conditions, and she knows that some people have become infected.
“My neighbor upstairs lives with two other families, and she told me one of the people who lives there got … everyone sick,” she said. “Downstairs from me are two families living in an apartment, and they’ve all gotten infected.”
Martinez wonders whether the number of people who have the coronavirus is actually higher than people know. She said some people had made an earnest plea to her: “They’ve all told me, ‘Please don’t tell anyone that I got COVID-19.’”
Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Ryan Menezes and Sean Greene contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-12-01--California's COVID-19 surge: 'It's brutal. It's astoundingly bad' and about to get worse

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer was blunt about the region ’ s coronavirus conditions , calling this time — nearly nine months in — “ the most difficult moment in the pandemic.
” Both cases and hospitalizations have hit unprecedented levels .
And officials fully expect conditions to deteriorate rapidly in the coming weeks , following Thanksgiving gatherings and other holiday-related events .
“ The increases we ’ re seeing now are not sustainable , ” Ferrer said .
“ They ’ re not sustainable , because they ’ re gon na overwhelm not just our healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s healthcare system.
” Such predictions have been echoed by state officials and public health experts .
Here ’ s a look at what could be ahead in the coming weeks as COVID-19 infections continue to surge .
Where are we at with hospitalizations ?
The county has surpassed its previous all-time high of 2,232 hospitalizations set on July 18 .
On Sunday , the county recorded 2,316 people in its hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infection , according to data released Monday .
The rate of increasing hospitalizations in L.A. County has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
California as a whole has also seen record hospitalizations .
Of particular concern is intensive care unit capacity .
Currently , about 75 % of the state ’ s 7,733 ICU beds are occupied — with 1,812 of them filled by COVID-19 patients .
There were 7,787 coronavirus patients hospitalized statewide as of Sunday , according to the latest available .
That ’ s the highest number recorded during the pandemic — the second consecutive day the record for COVID-19 hospitalizations has been broken .
That ’ s a near-tripling of hospitalizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in the hospital with coronavirus infection .
COVID-19 cases requiring intensive care have tripled since Oct. 14 , when 600 people were in ICU beds .
On Sunday , 1,812 ICU cases were reported .
What are the forecasts ?
The latest figures largely don ’ t include the most recent deluge of infections — as COVID-19 hospitalizations reflect cases that were identified two to three weeks earlier , according to Dr. Mark Ghaly , California ’ s Health and Human Services secretary .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Monday the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-December .
The rural counties of Northern California could exceed ICU capacity by early December , Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley by mid-December , the Sacramento area by late December , and the Bay Area by early January .
“ If these trends continue , we ’ re going to have to take much more dramatic — arguably drastic — actions , ” Newsom said during a briefing .
Newsom said about 59 % of California ’ s hospital beds were currently occupied by patients needing care for all sorts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 78 % by Christmas Eve .
He emphasized that the alarming numbers would come to pass if “ we just sit back and we are bystanders at this moment and we don ’ t subsequently improve upon our existing efforts.
” What are experts saying ?
Hospitals are better equipped to handle a COVID surge than they were in the spring .
Medical care has improved , and there is a great capacity to open additional facilities if needs arise .
Still , with infections rising across the state , it could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other areas to take patients .
Experts say that , with advancements in medical treatments and knowledge of the disease gained over the last nine months , they are hopeful that a smaller proportion of people who are infected with the virus will die during this wave compared with lives lost during the spring or summer .
But those improvements could be jeopardized by overcrowding at hospitals , as medical staff is stretched thin and unable to provide the healthcare desperately needed to save the lives of the sickest patients , experts told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health professionals say this marks a dangerous moment .
“ It ’ s brutal .
It ’ s astoundingly bad .
...
They ’ re seriously , seriously bad numbers , ” said Dr. George Rutherford , an epidemiologist and infectious diseases control expert at UC San Francisco .
“ We don ’ t have anyplace to decompress patients because stuff that ’ s just as bad is going on in Oregon and Nevada and Arizona .
“ We are here on our own , and this is a natural disaster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid the worst parts of this as much as possible .
And if there were ever a time for prevention and heeding advice , this is it.
” What can be done ?
Los Angeles County has imposed controversial restrictions , including suspending outdoor restaurant dining , banning gatherings and closing playgrounds .
Officials hope these actions can slow the infection rate .
Newsom on Monday raised “ the potential for a stay-at-home order ” for areas in the strictest , or purple , tier of California ’ s coronavirus reopening road map @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with some additional information , ” Newsom said , “ some additional recommendations in the very , very near future.
” Ferrer added : “ We don ’ t really have any choice but to use all the tools at hand to stop the surge .
Until there is a vaccine , each of us needs to protect all of those around us — both those we know and those we don ’ t .
“ The virus is running rampant through almost every part of our county .
”

Parishioners of Mt. Moriah Church of Los Angeles worship under a tent in the church’s parking lot.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer was blunt about the region’s coronavirus conditions, calling this time — nearly nine months in — “the most difficult moment in the pandemic.”
Both cases and hospitalizations have hit unprecedented levels. And officials fully expect conditions to deteriorate rapidly in the coming weeks, following Thanksgiving gatherings and other holiday-related events.
“The increases we’re seeing now are not sustainable,” Ferrer said. “They’re not sustainable, because they’re gonna overwhelm not just our healthcare system, but the entire state’s healthcare system.”
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Such predictions have been echoed by state officials and public health experts.
Here’s a look at what could be ahead in the coming weeks as COVID-19 infections continue to surge.
Where are we at with hospitalizations?
The county has surpassed its previous all-time high of 2,232 hospitalizations set on July 18. On Sunday, the county recorded 2,316 people in its hospitals with confirmed coronavirus infection, according to data released Monday. The rate of increasing hospitalizations in L.A. County has been breathtaking, tripling from 777 on Halloween.
California as a whole has also seen record hospitalizations.
Of particular concern is intensive care unit capacity. Currently, about 75% of the state’s 7,733 ICU beds are occupied — with 1,812 of them filled by COVID-19 patients.
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There were 7,787 coronavirus patients hospitalized statewide as of Sunday, according to the latest available data . That’s the highest number recorded during the pandemic — the second consecutive day the record for COVID-19 hospitalizations has been broken. That’s a near-tripling of hospitalizations since Nov. 2, when 2,602 people were in the hospital with coronavirus infection.
COVID-19 cases requiring intensive care have tripled since Oct. 14, when 600 people were in ICU beds. On Sunday, 1,812 ICU cases were reported.
California California urges weekly COVID-19 testing for hospital workers The weekly testing guidelines are some of the strongest in the nation, according to industry groups that lobbied for the change.
What are the forecasts?
The latest figures largely don’t include the most recent deluge of infections — as COVID-19 hospitalizations reflect cases that were identified two to three weeks earlier, according to Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services secretary.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday the state could exhaust its existing ICU capacity by mid-December.
The rural counties of Northern California could exceed ICU capacity by early December, Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley by mid-December, the Sacramento area by late December, and the Bay Area by early January.
“If these trends continue, we’re going to have to take much more dramatic — arguably drastic — actions,” Newsom said during a briefing.
Newsom said about 59% of California’s hospital beds were currently occupied by patients needing care for all sorts of reasons — but that could rise to 78% by Christmas Eve.
He emphasized that the alarming numbers would come to pass if “we just sit back and we are bystanders at this moment and we don’t subsequently improve upon our existing efforts.”
What are experts saying?
Hospitals are better equipped to handle a COVID surge than they were in the spring. Medical care has improved, and there is a great capacity to open additional facilities if needs arise. Still, with infections rising across the state, it could be harder for hard-hit counties to lean on other areas to take patients.
Experts say that, with advancements in medical treatments and knowledge of the disease gained over the last nine months, they are hopeful that a smaller proportion of people who are infected with the virus will die during this wave compared with lives lost during the spring or summer.
But those improvements could be jeopardized by overcrowding at hospitals, as medical staff is stretched thin and unable to provide the healthcare desperately needed to save the lives of the sickest patients, experts told the Los Angeles Times.
Overall, public health professionals say this marks a dangerous moment.
“It’s brutal. It’s astoundingly bad. ... They’re seriously, seriously bad numbers,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases control expert at UC San Francisco. “We don’t have anyplace to decompress patients because stuff that’s just as bad is going on in Oregon and Nevada and Arizona.
“We are here on our own, and this is a natural disaster. And we need to be able to avoid the worst parts of this as much as possible. And if there were ever a time for prevention and heeding advice, this is it.”
What can be done?
Los Angeles County has imposed controversial restrictions, including suspending outdoor restaurant dining, banning gatherings and closing playgrounds. Officials hope these actions can slow the infection rate.
Newsom on Monday raised “the potential for a stay-at-home order” for areas in the strictest, or purple, tier of California’s coronavirus reopening road map.
“We will be coming out with some additional information,” Newsom said, “some additional recommendations in the very, very near future.”
Ferrer added: “We don’t really have any choice but to use all the tools at hand to stop the surge. Until there is a vaccine, each of us needs to protect all of those around us — both those we know and those we don’t.
“The virus is running rampant through almost every part of our county.”