Many experts have warned of the dangerous second-wave of COVID-19 the United States would suffer through if more wide-sweeping pandemic regulations were not enacted. With the vaccine distribution in the country also lagging severely behind at its planned distribution rate, the realities of this haunting second-wave are beginning to hit even harder. Over the weekend, Los Angeles became the first US county to record more than 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to state officials.
The county also recorded its first confirmed case of the UK COVID-19 variant strain known as B.1.1.7. The health department confirmed the more contagious variant was already spreading, with Barbara Ferrer of the state department adding, "The presence of the UK variant in Los Angeles County is troubling, as our healthcare system is already severely strained with more than 7,500 people currently hospitalized."
Just a few weeks ago, Los Angeles County reported that their ambulance vehicles were under strict orders on what situations require transporting individuals to emergency rooms and which ones do not. The county's medical system is under pressure right now as they deal with battling the coronavirus surge with stretched resources.
As for vaccine distribution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 31.1 million doses of COVID-19 have been distributed across the country, while at least 12.2 million of them have been administered.