Deaths from Covid-19 increased in Los Angeles, California, USA. Authorities said most of the recent deaths were linked to the Omicron variant.
Doctors in Los Angeles warned that while people infected with Omicron often show less severe symptoms than the Delta variant, it increases the death rate.
HIGHEST DEAD COUNT SINCE MARCH
According to the news of NTV; Los Angeles Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said 102 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded last Thursday due to Omicron, the highest death toll since March 2021.
Ferrer said in a statement to reporters that the condition of people who died from the Omicron variant deteriorated much faster than those affected by the previous variants.
However, during the Delta variant epidemic that reigned in the US during the summer months, the symptoms of severe cases began four to five weeks before their death.
IN SERIOUS CASES, OMICRON KILLS WITHIN 2 TO 3 WEEKS
But most deaths reported late last weekend said their symptoms began within three weeks or more of their death.
“At Omicron, we’re seeing a narrowing of the time between onset of symptoms and death,” Ferrer said.
Elsewhere, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he believes they are “in a better place” than last winter, given that Omicron is more contagious but causes less serious illness overall. However, he stressed that the increasing death toll cannot be ignored.
“We are still walking in the shadow of the valley of death,” Garcetti said. “Right now, I see more than 100 people die in my city in one day,” he said.
HOSPITAL LOAD IS INCREASING
In addition, health officials in Los Angeles announced that they expect the load of their hospitals to increase in the coming weeks.
President of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, Dr. “The fact that Omicron is so contagious posed a bigger problem than any of the other features of the variant. The virus itself is not as lethal as Delta,” said Armand Dorian.
Most people who get Omicron will not become critically ill or end up in the intensive care unit. But more people are getting infected.
“This means that even if a smaller percentage of people infected get the dreaded disease, large numbers of cases result in high numbers of deaths,” he said.
On the other hand, Dorian emphasized that vaccinating people against coronavirus is the only tool that can prevent their death.