Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images
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Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images
In Los Angeles, ambulances are waiting for hours — up to eight, in some cases — to admit new patients at overwhelmed hospitals. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units has more than quadrupled since the beginning of November.
And with the holidays just behind us, public health officials warn that the situation could get worse for emergency services.
"A lot of what's happening right now, even though people are talking about it, people are reporting about it, people aren't really seeing it. And the reality is, things are worse than people think," says Dr. Nichole Bosson, assistant medical director at the LA County Emergency Medical Services Agency. "And I say that because I see how people are still congregating in groups and making decisions to have family gatherings or New Year's parties. And these decisions are what continues to impact our health care system."