Latest California Healthline Stories
Daily Edition for Friday, January 8, 2021
‘Triage Officers’ Would Decide Whether Someone Lives Or Dies: Stretched to the breaking point by a deluge of covid patients, Los Angeles County’s four public hospitals are preparing to take the extraordinary step of rationing care, with a team of “triage officers” set to decide which patients can benefit from continued treatment and which are beyond saving and should be allowed to die. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Thursday, January 7, 2021
Health Officials Plead With Californians To Change Their Behavior: Worried Los Angeles County health leaders said Wednesday that the region was rapidly losing its battle against covid-19 and that only immediate and decisive changes in behavior can prevent a steep rise in deaths. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Health Orders Issued To Help Hospitals: The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday ordered counties with available intensive care capacity to accept transfer patients from overwhelmed regions in an effort to relieve pressure on hospitals. Another health order issued Tuesday requires hospitals to delay any surgeries for non-life-threatening conditions. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and KCRA.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, January 5, 2021
LA County Told To Prioritize Oxygen For Those Who Can Survive: Paramedics in Southern California are being told to conserve oxygen and not to bring patients to the hospital who have little chance of survival, as Los Angeles County grapples with a new wave of covid patients. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has devised a five-part strategy for addressing the demand for oxygen. Read more from NPR, the Los Angeles Times, Fox News and LA Daily News.
Daily Edition for Monday, January 4, 2021
Holiday Covid Surge Already Starting: The dreaded post-Christmas spike in coronavirus cases appears to be materializing in Los Angeles County, with a new rise in cases as hospitals are already in crisis from the Thanksgiving surge. Meanwhile, L.A. County’s new mandatory quarantine order for travelers is now official. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Public health officials are pleading with Californians to avoid traveling this holiday season, hoping to mitigate the explosive growth of coronavirus infections brought on by mingling households.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Field Hospitals Open Amid Crush Of COVID Infections: With intensive care capacity buckling under an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases, California has opened four field hospitals where dozens of patients are being treated, and the state is bringing in hundreds of additional health care providers. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Monday, December 21, 2020
Moderna Vaccine Approved For Use In California: A group of experts on Sunday endorsed Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, clearing the way for it to be distributed throughout California. The group reviewed the vaccine separately from the FDA, which on Friday issued emergency-use authorization. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee.
Daily Edition for Friday, December 18, 2020
ICUs Are Full In Southern California: The availability of intensive-care unit beds throughout Southern California hit 0% Thursday, and officials warned that conditions in hospitals are expected to erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, LA Daily News, Bay Area News Group, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR and AP.
Daily Edition for Thursday, December 17, 2020
Vaccine Delivery Hits Snags: The delivery of the coronavirus vaccine to California suffered its first hiccups Wednesday when several shipments carrying thousands of vials were delayed by authorities or sent back because of irregularities. In one instance, vials were returned after they were stored at the wrong temperature. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle, CNBC, Reuters and STAT.