With the recent increase in flu cases, some clinics are seeing higher numbers of people coming in for a vaccination. More than half of those who were vaccinated said they would continue to get their shots from other providers until further notice.
(CBSLA) – WILMINGTON (CBSLA) – As health authorities report high transmission rates, rising case numbers, and other reasons that may be causing the spike in persons attending a vaccine site in Wilmington, a COVID surge may have begun in Los Angeles County.
“We’re very thrilled, and we’re sort of celebrating,” said parent Amanda Luna, whose family brought pizza to the Wilmington clinic since everyone in their family would have had their COVID-19 injections by Thursday night.
READ MORE: Passenger Arrested After Attacking An Air Marshal And A Flight Attendant
8th of December, 2021 (credit: CBS)
The Luna Family was among the throngs of individuals that flocked to the clinic at a pace that Dr. Jerry Abraham said he hasn’t seen since the immunizations were originally made available.
“I believe the Omicron variation is to blame for part of it.” “I believe the LAUSD requirement to be completely vaccinated by December 19, I believe Pfizer’s emergency use permission for 5 to 11-year-olds, and I believe everyone understands they need a booster, preferably before the holidays so kids can be safe,” said Dr. Abraham of Kedren Health.
With news that LA County is again back in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified as a rate of “high transmission,” immunizations are more important than ever.
Since Thanksgiving, the number of new daily infections has increased by 19%.
9th of December, 2021 (credit: CBS)
READ MORE: A Cadillac driver attempting to avoid a school bus collides with four children, killing one of them.
Both the Delta and new Omicron types are causing the winter spike, according to Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
“So, we have a lot of community transmission going on, and when there’s a lot of opportunity for individuals to mix, you run the danger of these numbers simply continuing to climb.”
Experts predict that fewer people will get very sick or die as a result of immunizations and new therapies, but emergency department physicians warn that there are additional consequences to consider.
“The instances of Omicron double every one to two days, whereas those of Delta double every one to five days.” So, even if it turns out to be less virulent, we still have a highly transmissible variant on our hands, and if we have an outbreak, even if it’s only a small percentage of a large number of cases, that’s still a significant number of cases that could overwhelm our hospitals,” Dr. Michael Daignault told CBSLA.
That’s one of the reasons Dr. Abraham’s commitment to vaccinate everyone he can continues, with an emphasis on young Black and Latino males, who have the lowest vaccination rates.
“These aren’t only for the elderly, ill, or young; they’re for everyone,” Dr. Abraham added. “They’re for the young invincible and the most manliest among us.”
MORE NEWS: Alec Baldwin Posts ‘Rust’ Crew Letter Defending Working Conditions
In Los Angeles County on Wednesday, more than 1,700 instances of COVID-19 were detected, roughly twice the amount reported just before Thanksgiving.
