In recent weeks there have been worrying increases in covid infections – 19 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties, considered among the most populous counties in California.
In San Bernardino County, an increase in 96% compared to the average of two weeks ago. It is estimated that one in seven residents has been infected with covid – 19 since the beginning of the pandemic, state data indicates.
Luz Gallegos, executive director of the TODEC Legal Center, which serves working families in the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, in Riverside, said that for months the have been in charge of informing the rural community about the importance of the vaccine.
They recently noticed the increase in covid cases – 19 through the financial aid fund for workers who are impacted by the spread of the virus.
Gallegos said that for several months families had stopped seeking financial aid until a few weeks ago.
“More workers are coming out positive, but we continue to inform people about of the importance of vaccination, “said Gallegos.
With the return to school next week many parents also l They have contacted you to find out what option your children have to start classes safely.
Because there is no vaccine available for children under 12 years, Gallegos said that TODEC promotes available precautionary measures such as hand washing, use of mouth covers and avoid congregating indoors.
Additionally, they are conducting mobile clinics on Fridays so that people over the age of 12 years get vaccinated. They do not need an appointment to obtain it.
“They arrive around 120 young people, mostly children under 18 years that their parents have been with them because they are seeing that the virus is real, ”said Gallegos.
However, the doubt still continues among the peasant community. Gallegos indicated that when the vaccines were approved, TODEC was in charge of informing the farmers of the availability in their workplaces but now they are focusing more on going from house to house to answer every question.
“It is not so much to convince them to put it on, but for them to see that the covid infection is real,” he stressed.
If the covid risk levels plan – of San Bernardino would be at the red level, or very high risk of contagion. This is because in the past two weeks there was a contagion of 28 people not vaccinated by every 100,000.
Concerned medical personnel
In Los Angeles County an average of 3 was reported, 366 cases per day. This is an increase of 41% increase from the average of two weeks ago. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 1 in 8 residents has been infected.
In Orange County there is an average of 772 cases per day, an increase of 79% compared to to the average of two weeks ago. The county is estimated to have seen a very high risk from unvaccinated people in recent weeks. One out of every 01 County residents is considered to have been infected.
Dr. José Mayorga, medical director of the UCI family health center, in Orange County, stressed that the people most likely to be infected are people not vaccinated, especially now with the new Delta variant.
However, the highest numbers of infections in children under 12 years is not specifically due to the Delta variant but rather because this group still does not have access to vaccines.
National data indicated that 19% of all new cases of Infections have occurred in children under 18 years.
For this reason, the National Academy of Pediatrics is requiring that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the covid vaccine – 19 pron to children under 12 years.
Mayorga said that the FDA usually waits two months to make sure the vaccine study is safe but in this case they have already waited four months to approve the next group of children under 12 years.
“That is why the academy is demanding that they approve it because they are not following the same protocols as for adults, ”Mayorga said. “We understand that they want to be more careful, but at the end of the day we are in the pandemic and we have enough information.”
The biggest fear of health providers is that the numbers become so high that there is again a shortage of hospital beds.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that the levels of cases documented covid – 19 are higher than last year across the country.
The California Department of Public Health indicated that the total number of hospitalized patients positive for the coronavirus rose from 2, 981 on 25 July 5. 973 for this past Sunday.
“Here at UCI we have seen that if there are more people hospitalized, ”Mayorga said. “In the last few days there was talk of a case where an ambulance took much longer to get a person to the hospital in Orange County and that shows that even the emergency rooms are very busy.”