Los Angeles hospital beds at lowest availability since pandemic began

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The number of available Los Angeles County hospital beds has fallen to its lowest level in the pandemic, according to L.A. County Public Health Department.

Based on data collected from 90 hospitals, there were 242 adult beds available countywide as of Monday, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters Thursday.

"The average number of available beds so far in December is the lowest we have seen in the past four years," she said.

The result shows not only the enduring threat of COVID-19 and the reemergence of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but also the needs of a populace that put off non-emergency care, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Surveillance data show the coronavirus concentration in L.A. County wastewater exceeded the peak of the summer Omicron wave during the latest week ending Dec. 3.

"The high wastewater concentrations remind us that even with slightly declining case counts, COVID transmission in L.A. County is still very high," Ferrer said.