A working group of scientists and experts Sunday endorsed the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, clearing the way for it to be distributed throughout California and much of the West. Experts say that’s not soon enough to avert catastrophe at the region’s hospitals, which have been struggling as they fill up with COVID-19 patients. There were 16,843 COVID-19 patients in California hospitals Saturday, with 3,614 of them in intensive care, according to data released by the state Sunday. AdvertisementLos Angeles County hospitals were treating the largest share of patients: 5,709, with 1,175 of them in intensive care. UCLA infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Tim Brewer said the exponential increase means that L.A. County is on a dangerous path.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 20, 2020 22:07 UTC