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California Dentists Authorized to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine

1 min read

State officials announced a new order that allows California dentists to inoculate patients with the coronavirus vaccine that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized.

California has only inoculated 1% of its population of 40 million people, said State Governor Gavin Newsom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that officials have only used about 450,000 doses from their supply of nearly 1.9 million doses.

Massive surge of COVID-19 cases

Recently, California has recorded a rise of 12.3% in positive cases last week, where more than 29,000 new infections were found on Monday. John Hopkins University said the United States had nearly 2.5 million positive cases with 26,880 deaths related to the COVID-19 virus as of January 5.

The surge of new cases caused a massive lack of resources within California. The Public Health Department said Southern California had recorded 0% intensive care unit capacity and the Bay Area is down to only 7.9% on January 4, Business Insider reported.

State hospitals are trying to support more patients by putting up field tents in public spaces to help more patients. A staggering 905% increase in the weekly average of new cases was observed in Los Angeles County since November 1, forcing hospital oxygen supplies to dwindle.

Danielle Joyce Ong

Danielle is a local journalist with a passion for exploring stories related to crime and politics. When Danielle isn't busy writing or reading, she is usually exploring the great outdoors and all the hiking trails in the Bay.