L.A. County hospitals running dangerously low on oxygen, supplies as ER units are overwhelmed

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 25, 2020 | Luke Money

[L.A.Justice]

Christmas arrived in Los Angeles County with hospitals in a full-blown coronavirus crisis.

There are now so many patients that some hospitals are running dangerously low on oxygen and other supplies critical to treating those with COVID-19.

Patients are waiting as many as eight hours in ambulances before they can enter the emergency room. With intensive care units at 0% available capacity, health officials are urging that people avoid emergency rooms or dialing 911 for assistance unless absolutely necessary.

[LukeL]

Don’t they have machines to concentrate oxygen on site? If you are that low then contact a welding supply company and purify the O2 on site.

[L.A.Justice]

I was in the emergency room once this week.....and in the hospital twice this week.

In the Emergency Room at Keck [USC] ... not crowded at all. I was in for massively LOW blood pressure, nit Covid although I was given a Covid test and was given an “all clear” 24 hours later.
___________________

Keck USC? I think it is near Downtown Los Angeles...ER was not really crowded? Interesting...

I was getting the impression that all the ERs are really getting crowded in Los Angeles County...I guess I watched too much local TV news...

I am trying to remain calm and do my usual things...But, I have to admit that I am getting little worried after watching my local TV news...Reporters interview doctors and nurses who really sound desperate...Reporters also spoke to people who are in ICU beds...

[gunsequalfreedom]

I just saw an interview with a hospital administrator at a So Cal hospital and he did not give the same impression as this article. Can’t figure out who to believe.

[L.A.Justice]

I thought California was one of the most masked, locked down states in the nation per orders of Führer Newsome. And yet, they are spiking into dangerous virus infections?
___________________________________

A good question...

I have not heard about any health care crisis in Arizona, Texas, and Florida...At this time...

[Eagles6]

Doesn't CA have the strictist lockdowns in the country?

Obviously, not working.

[L.A.Justice]

I just saw an interview with a hospital administrator at a So Cal hospital and he did not give the same impression as this article. Can’t figure out who to believe.
_________________________________

I am confused also...

I don’t trust my local media 100%...

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Thanks for the insider view of “We’re running out of air”.

In all the sarcasm I can muster, I say to LA leaders, “Open the damned windows. There is plenty of free air out there”!

You want oxygen? Call the hated US military medical people. They have it and will share it, just like they did with the never utilized SS Mercy Hospital ship in NYC.

[PCPOET7]

locally everyone gets treated in the bay area or loss Angeles if its something serious if they can afford to because the management is so incompetent that any health professional ends up fleeing the hospital as soon as there contract is up. I have met many Doctors fresh out of medical school who take a job with the hospital because they want to live in this area. almost all end up leaving. I have lived here 7 years and have had 4 primary care doctors who told me not to worry they want to raise there kids here. 6 months to a year and they leave.

[Chickensoup]

Planned collapse

[Chickensoup]

Oh they gave you the Cuomo treatment.

[familyop]

Hospitals in the other states are overwhelmed, too. Some simply count differently from others.

[Chickensoup]

I was in the emergency room in Visalia California. I had no taste and smell due to a ear infection. they put me in a small room with 30 other corvid patients waiting on tests. some in the room it was obvious with out the test they had corvid or bad flue reaction... two issues I had was why pack so many in the same room waiting for the test and why did they not separate those that it was obvious had covid from those that there was a Question mark. my test came back negative on covid but I have decided to self isolate because I think chances are the way that the emergency room treated it that I am a strong candidate to having caught it while there.

_______

Freepers. Faced with this situation tell them you will wait in the car.

[jmacusa]

Yes. In every hospital ER in America, how ever it's set up there are oxygen ‘’nipples’’(for lack of a better word) built into the wall which are fed by large tanks that are bought in by the kind of trucks you see transporting oxygen cylinders for welding, for industrial use, etc.

There are small oxygen tanks about three and a half feet long that are fitted to stretchers when patients are moved from the ER to say, x-ray or another part of the hospital.
There is also nitrous oxide used in the OR. The stuff comes in and out all week along with everything else any hospital uses. As I said, this bs fear mongering by the Democrats. "Running out of oxygen''. For God's Sake who ever the hospitals pr director who let that out should be fired.

[Covenantor]

For future reference, those are called stop cocks.

;>)

[jmacusa]

Thanks FRiend. In my old line of work(construction) that would work. In the ER, with lots of females around you have to be a little more..uh.. diplomatic. I always hear the RN’s just refer to them simply as ‘’oxygen’.

[DAC21]

“LA County Health Director”

I believe that would be the human skelator aka “BARBARA FERRER” She is the Jill Biden of the LA County health scene. She is a Dr. don’t you know, Her doctorate is in Social Welfare. This Halloween prop has made it clear that she is more concerned about the color of the skin of people getting sick, not so much that they are sick.

[Covenantor]

LOL !
First learned the term from my high school Chemistry teacher describing the lab equipment in early 60s. She was a real no nonsense teacher, brewed her own coffee, drinking it from a glass beaker, smoking a cigarette while monitoring our procedures....times sure have changed.

Merry Christmas

[upnspace]

Everyone is missing the elephant in the room. Illegal immigrants. If you are from south of the border and can get to a border crossing point, all you have to do is claim you have covid and bingo; free ride to a hospital in California. If the border were to close the problem would go away.

[Mom MD]

most sick covid patients need more than 6 liters so the concentratots are not much help

[A_perfect_lady]

Illegals use the ER for everything because apparently they can’t be denied. I had to go three times while I lived there, and each time I sat for four hours, surrounded by people who were clearly there for non-emergency reasons, and not a one who spoke English as a first language. The ERs in L.A. are always packed, from what I saw.