últimas notícias

As coronavirus cases continue to mushroom throughout the state, Los Angeles has unveiled a new color-coded system to assess and report the risk of infection.

The online indicator, which Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled Wednesday, is broken into four categories — red, orange, yellow and green — each representing different threat levels.

“Information and data on the threat helps us all inform our behavior, guides us to better days,” Garcetti said.

As of Thursday morning, L.A.’s indicator was orange, meaning that the risk of infection remains very high, according to Garcetti.

“When the indicator is orange, you want to stay at home as often as possible … and only leave for essential activities like going to work or going to the market,” he said. “And you should assume everyone around you is infectious.”

Red, the highest threat level, would mean that “residents must stay at home and take precautious and will likely be on a mandated safer-at-home order,” Garcetti said.

Yellow means “we’re successfully flattening the curve” and green “will indicate that COVID-19 is mostly contained and presents a very low risk to Angelenos,” he added.

“We all want to live in that green and yellow area until there’s a cure or a treatment for COVID-19,” he said.

The new tool was released as Los Angeles, like many areas in the state and nation, continues to see distressing spikes in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

On Tuesday, there were 1,893 patients with confirmed infections in L.A. County hospitals — up from 1,429 two weeks earlier.

“Whether we stop the threat of COVID-19, whether we save lives and preserve livelihoods, is up to us,” Garcetti said. “COVID-19 has taken control, and it’s time for us to take control back.”

Statewide, the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus has shot up 56% in the last two weeks — from 3,337 to 5,196. Coronavirus cases also have surged, setting four daily records over that same time frame.

So severe are the recent increases that some counties, including San Bernardino and Riverside, have said they are prepared to open overflow facilities as their hospitals approach surge capacity.

The state also announced the reactivation of four alternate care locations Wednesday — the Imperial Field Medical Site, Seton Medical Center, Fairview Developmental Center and Porterville Developmental Center. Combined, those facilities will make hundreds of additional beds available to relieve stress on the healthcare system.

“As hospitalizations continue to rise, these alternative care sites will expand capacity and support additional acute care specifically dedicated to COVID-19 patients,” according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Amid the worsening outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered 19 particularly hard-hit counties to walk back some reopenings and halt visits to indoor restaurants, bars, wineries and tasting rooms, entertainment centers, movie theaters, zoos, museums and card rooms for the next three weeks.

Counties affected by the order include Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Sacramento.

As infections continue to climb, officials are pleading with residents to not gather with friends or family members they don’t live with over the Fourth of July weekend.

To that end, officials have moved to stave off some of the communal traditions that typically mark the holiday. Most fireworks shows have been canceled, and some coastal areas also will close their beaches.

“This is not going to be the type of Fourth of July weekend that most of us are used to — nor should it be,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement.

“The spike we have seen in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across our county should alarm all of us. We all have to make personal sacrifices to protect the people we love and our communities from this virus.”

San Francisco city and community leaders also held an online news conference Thursday to urge residents to stay home for the holiday.

Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s public health director, said San Francisco has experienced a “significant and alarming increase in COVID-19 infections.”

“Our rates have soared,” he said. “We are in a situation where we could be seeing early signs of surge.”

Local hospital capacity remains in good shape, however, and the city is accepting patients from other harder-hit areas — including 18 inmates from San Quentin State Prison, he said.

“Once this virus takes off at a high rate, it is very aggressive,” Colfax said.

Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Colleen Shalby, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, Hannah Fry, Taryn Luna and Phil Willon contributed to this report.