COVID-19 in Southern California
In Southern California, testing for COVID-19 is increasing as cases continue to rise.
January 19, 2021
As COVID-19 cases surge across the entire country, Southern California has found itself to be the current epicenter of the pandemic. Southern California is no stranger to the devastating effects of the pandemic, but the number of new cases per day has exceeded over 46,000 according to the Los Angeles Times. Even though new cases are being reported at alarmingly high rates, an increasing number of people have begun ignoring safety protocols.
Over the holiday season, many families traveled to spend the holidays with people outside of their direct family. After the Thanksgiving season, a spike in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths occurred. According to the Washington Post, air travel over the holiday season was the busiest it had been since the start of the pandemic. The Transportation and Security Administration estimates that 17 million people passed through its checkpoints between December 18 and January 3. With this many people traveling all within a short period of time, experts are certain that a spike will occur.
Despite cases already being high over the holiday break, thousands of people found themselves attending large parties over New Years’ in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Police Department broke up at least eight large parties, including one party with over 1,000 people which took place in a large warehouse. People who attended claimed that they wanted to enjoy their lives while they are still young; however, by attending these parties, they not only endanger their own health, but also the health of those they come in contact with.
As a result of the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, hospitals have been overwhelmed. According to ABC News, hospitals are overwhelmed to the point where ambulances must wait up to eight hours to offload the patients, or in some cases, ambulances are told to take the patient elsewhere. Medical staff is already being physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, so the expected spike in cases will likely be detrimental to Southern California’s healthcare system.
Despite all of the negativity, there is still some reason to be optimistic. According to Mercury News, 1.5% of California residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine. While this percentage lags behind most other states, California is working to increase its ability to distribute vaccines. According to NBC Los Angeles, Disneyland has announced that it will be Orange County’s first Point-of-Dispensing site for vaccines. This means that this site will potentially be able to vaccinate thousands of Orange County residents in the near future.
Even in Yorba Linda, it is becoming more clear just how many cases there really are in our community. Frequently, students at Yorba Linda High School receive emails regarding students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19. Over the winter break, the number of students attending in-person classes has dramatically decreased. Abigail Lee (10) says that “It is disappointing to see the number of people in our community who blatantly ignore public health protocols.” Because of this, students should keep in mind that no matter how much they want to return to pre-pandemic life, right now cases are rising in the area. In order for life to return to the way it was before, people need to start prioritizing their safety and the safety of everyone else in the community.
faith desio • Feb 26, 2021 at 10:56 PM
It is so crazy to think that we have been in this pandemic for almost a whole year! If you would have told me that we would still be in quarantine for so long at the beginning of March I would not have believed you! I can see how crazy it is that the cases are rising after the holidays. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to go back to normal! Great article Fiona!
Suhani Bhanvadia • Feb 14, 2021 at 10:41 AM
Great article! This just shows how important it is to follow the rules. Even if people aren’t afraid of getting COVID themselves, they still need to think about others.
Paige Reddick • Feb 12, 2021 at 12:44 PM
It’s so saddening how bad the virus is here. I hope that we can all be extremely careful! Thank you for educating me on our current situation.
Kylie de Best • Feb 11, 2021 at 7:17 PM
It is so unfortunate how after every holiday the covid cases surge. It shows how people need to be more cautious, and if they want to see family they should either test themselves or quarantine first to prevent exposure.
danielle huizar • Feb 11, 2021 at 8:24 AM
This is a very important article because many people ignore the COVID-19 protocols leading to an immense rise in cases, especially in Southern California. By saying we are the epicenter of the pandemic, it hopefully will lead to people taking a pandemic more seriously. Thank you for this article and for highlighting the huge rise in cases where we live.
Sharon Sun • Jan 23, 2021 at 1:32 AM
Hey Fiona, great work! It’s definitely scary how it seems like everyone is forgetting about the pandemic around this despite the situation worsening, and in a densely packed area like Southern California, the virus was bound to spread fast. Hopefully, we can see a lot of success with the recent vaccine because it looks like the situation will get worse the longer the pandemic drags on.
Katelyn Ruggles • Jan 21, 2021 at 4:17 PM
California is going up in our COVID-19 cases everyday, and it is really important we follow all rules regarding the virus to try and get normal life back as soon as possible.
Anita Tun • Jan 21, 2021 at 4:10 PM
It’s insane how high the COVID-19 cases are rising, especially after the holidays, great article!