Kaiser Permanente setting up tents in parking lots due to increase in hospitalizations

LOS ANGELES - Due to the increase in hospitalizations from the COVID-19 Delta variant, Kaiser Permanente is setting up temporary tents in their parking lots to care for patients.

Tents have been set up at 15 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California. The tents will serve as a triage center as well as a testing site. 

This was done in the past when COVID-19 cases were at an all-time high in 2020. 

Due to the sharp increase in COVID-19 patients, other hospitals could follow suit. 

"Kaiser Permanente cannot fight this pandemic alone. We need the public to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus to relieve stress on area hospitals by wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, washing hands and whenever possible avoiding large gatherings outside of the immediate household," Kaiser Permanente said in a statement. 

With the bulk of new COVID-19 infections occurring among the unvaccinated, the pace of Los Angeles County residents being hospitalized due to the virus has begun rising at an equivalent rate, while the rate of people dying is also creeping higher, according to the most recent figures released.

According to LA County Public Health, hospitalizations are up 366% in a 1-month period.

RELATED: COVID hospitalizations up 366% over past month in LA County as virus surges

"This alarming increase in the rise of hospitalizations serves as a stark reminder that this virus causes debilitating and dangerous illness among many who are infected,'' Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

She said roughly 8% of people who become infected with the virus are now requiring hospitalization, the vast majority of them unvaccinated.  Meanwhile, the seven-day average number of deaths has risen to seven, compared to between four and five a month ago.

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Back in LA County, Ferrer said there has been a 240% increase in hospitalizations over the past month among unvaccinated people age 50 or over, and a 237% rise in hospitalizations for unvaccinated younger residents. During the month of July, vaccinated residents represented just 13% of people hospitalized with the virus.

City News Service contributed to this report 

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