California hospitals stressed to the 'brink of catastrophe' by the coronavirus surge

[UpInArms]

Source: CNN

CNN)Overflowing hospital morgues, increased 911 wait times, beds only opening when patients die. Hospitals in California, where almost all of the state's 40 million residents are living under stay-at-home orders, are seeing historic stress points.

The surge of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations is pushing hospitals in Los Angeles County to the "brink of catastrophe," a top health official there said.

To the north in Santa Clara, one doctor said: "What we are seeing now, is not normal."

Every day since November 7, Covid-19 hospitalizations in California have increased.

As of Thursday, 21,449 Covid-19 patients were in hospital beds throughout the state, with more than 4,500 of those in intensive care units.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/31/health/california-covid-hospitals-catastrophe/index.html

[OnlinePoker]

1. On a "positive" note, new cases peaked at 61k on the 21st and dropped to 31k yesterday

Next week will be telling as you'll start seeing if people ignored the warnings about gathering at Christmas. I expect another surge.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/california/

[Dem2theMax]

2. Judging from the behavior of my neighbors,

many ignored the advice to protect themselves and their loved ones.

[chowder66]

5. I'm hoping people backed off the New Years celebrations. One indication was

that the fireworks that start before, during and linger after were surprisingly short lived. That has never happened in the 30+ years I've lived here.

[orleans]

3. found this on facebook--posted by someone in l.a.

“I really want to be positive and wish everyone a happy new year. But my heart is heavy here in LA as our healthcare system is in crisis. You know I work in home health, and when I have a covid positive patient who starts to decline; in need of a higher level of care and the paramedics refuse to take her to the ER because there is NO room... what do you do? What do you say? She will die if she doesn't get treatment. So now the paramedics are playing God? Deciding who goes and who doesn't? Who should be treated and who should just stay home?

"This is bad. Really bad. And now LA doesn't even have enough ambulances... I pray for those in need of emergent care, Covid or not. I beg that everyone be safe and cautious. This is temporary, we will get through it. But please, even though it's New Year's Eve, stay home this year, don't drink and drive, wear your mask, wash your hands... please... we can't let this get any worse.”

[Skittles]

4. playing God?

it's called TRIAGING and it is being forced on them

[orleans]

8. reminded me of sarah palin's crazy "death panels" that the rest of repukes picked up on

and ran with

and now look at the position this country finds itself in--such dire conditions thanks to team trump, anti maskers, and fucking morons

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. The majority can be sacrificing everything, their families, their freedoms.

Only to have the covidiot few gather in groups without precautions to help spread it and ruin it and drag it out for everybody

[Jetheels]

7. This heartbreaking and nightmare.

I can barely read news anymore. When trump threw out the pandemic playbook early on, when he was silent for months about the new virus, and on and on and on, sabotage one after the other, making fun of mask wearers and wearing masks, this is all in him. This is criminal. My mother died a year and a half ago. She was in her 90’s. Im glad she not have to see how our government thwarted every effort to handle the pandemic response.

[ck4829]

9. Horrifying.