Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Tough Decisions': LA Ambulance Crews Told To Ration Oxygen
Los Angeles Times: Ambulance Crews Told Not To Transport Patients Who Have Little Chance Of Survival
The situation in Los Angeles County hospitals is so critical that ambulance crews have been advised to cut back on their use of oxygen and to not bring to hospitals patients who have virtually no chance of survival. Officials say they need to focus on patients with a greater chance of surviving. The measures were taken as circumstances are expected to become even worse in coming weeks, when patients sickened over the Christmas holiday will need treatment, leaving officials desperate for ways to increase capacity and triage care to focus on the sickest patients. (Lin II, Money, Karlamangla and Wigglesworth, 1/4)
Fox News: Los Angeles County Ambulance Crews Told To Ration Oxygen Amid Surge In COVID-19 Cases
Los Angeles County hospitals are so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that EMS workers were told Monday to ration oxygen, according to reports. The L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Agency issued a directive Monday detailing the decision. "Given the acute need to conserve oxygen, effective immediately, EMS should only administer supplemental oxygen to patients with oxygen saturation below 90%," the directive said, according to the Los Angeles Times. The directive was made on the same day the county said 7,697 patients were hospitalized with the virus. Of those, at least 21% are in intensive care units. When the recent surge began, in early-November, there were about 791 people hospitalized with COVID-19. (Aaro, 1/5)
NPR: L.A. Paramedics Told Not To Transport Some Patients With Low Chance Of Survival
Speaking to the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, [Dr. Marianne] Gausche-Hill said personnel would continue to do everything possible to save the lives of patients, both at the scene and in the hospital. "We are not abandoning resuscitation," she said. "We are absolutely doing best practice resuscitation and that is do it in the field, do it right away." (Diaz, 1/5)
