Holiday Spike Starts To Hit Already Crowded, Short-Staffed Hospitals

USA Today: 'It's What We Feared:' Hospitals From Georgia To California Face Surging COVID-19 Cases, Staff Shortages And Rising Deaths
During the past week, a record 22,676 people died from COVID-19, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. That's more Americans dying every day than the 2,977 victims on Sept. 11, 2001. Four states with the largest share of hospital beds occupied with COVID-19 patients – California, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia – are struggling to keep pace with the unprecedented surge. The situation has become so dire in California that the state required hospitals to complete crisis-care plans detailing how they will prioritize care when they don’t have enough workers, space or supplies. (Alltucker, 1/12)

CNN: The US Has Averaged More Than 3,000 Covid-19 Deaths A Day Over The Past Week
Health officials had warned the Covid-19 pandemic would make winter one of the most difficult times in US history. That prediction is quickly proving true. December was devastating. And January could be deadlier. (Maxouris, 1/12)

NPR: Is Your Hospital Overwhelmed With COVID-19 Patients? Find Out With This Tool
The federal government on Monday released an updated set of detailed hospital-level data showing the toll COVID-19 is taking on health care facilities, including how many inpatient and ICU beds are available on a weekly basis. Using an analysis from the University of Minnesota's COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project, NPR has created a tool that allows you to see how your local hospital and your county overall are faring. (McMinn and Carlsen, 1/11)

In California —

CNN: Los Angeles County Officials Are Advising Essential Workers To Wear Masks At Home To Avoid Further Spread Of Covid-19
Things are so bad in Los Angeles County that health officials are now advising all essential workers to wear masks inside their own home to prevent spreading Covid-19 within their household. "Right now, because there is so much spread, we're recommending that people wear their face coverings while they're inside the home," Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in a news conference Monday. That's for people who are either leaving their home every day for work or who are running errands regularly for their family, Ferrer said. (Meeks and Maxouris, 1/12)

The Hill: Deadly Weekend Pushes California Virus Death Toll Past 30,000 
California has surpassed 30,000 coronavirus deaths as of Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Deaths have risen sharply ever since a surge began in October, according to a report by KSWB-TV. The news station notes that it took around 6 months for the state to reach 10,000 deaths but it only took a month for the state’s death count to rise from 20,000 to 30,000. (Choi, 1/11)

In Texas and North Carolina —

Houston Chronicle: Texas Becomes The Second State To Surpass 30,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Texas recorded its 30,000th death from COVID-19 over the weekend, making it the second state in the country to surpass the milestone. The development coincides with a sharp spike in statewide deaths, which reached a seven-day average of nearly 279 on Sunday, the highest mark since early August. Texas’ rate of tests coming back positive also peaked earlier this month at nearly 21 percent, surpassing the previous high set during early July, shortly after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to close and issued a mask mandate for most of the state. COVID hospitalizations now make up more than 15 percent of hospital capacity in all but one of the state’s 22 hospital regions, the threshold that triggers restrictions such as bar closures and the suspension of elective surgeries. (Scherer and Rubio, 1/11)

North Carolina Health News: Rapid Tests May Have Fueled COVID Surge
Despite their good intentions, some people who tested negative for the coronavirus using a rapid antigen test before visiting friends and family over Christmas may have developed a false sense of security. A new report shows that the rapid test missed the virus in nearly 60 percent of people who were infected but not yet showing symptoms. (Barnes, 1/12)