Magic and mayhem! LA temporarily shuts five vaccination sites over shortages as people flock to exclusive Magic Castle to donate plasma while MAGICIANS perform as COVID cases drop 23% in a week nationwide
Hollywood's exclusive Magic Castle opened its doors to the public for a blood drive on Thursday as Los Angeles continues to be hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The famous restaurant and private club, which is typically open only to magicians, magic enthusiasts and members of the Academy of Magical Arts, hosted the blood drive with the Red Cross, offering complimentary tests for COVID-19 antibodies.
Adding some entertainment to the otherwise unpleasant task of giving blood were masked magicians who performed card tricks and other slight-of-hand illusions for donors.
The unorthodox drive came as Los Angeles moved to temporarily close five major vaccination centers, including its giant Dodger Stadium site, on Thursday due to a dire shortage of jabs.
High rates of infections in Los Angeles County have been blamed for helping California surpass New York as the state with the highest COVID-19 death toll in the US this week with nearly 45,500.
As California reached the grim milestone, more encouraging signs have emerged that the pandemic may be reaching a plateau nationwide - at least for the moment.
In the last week infections have fallen by 23 percent from the week prior and 57 percent from the country's all-time peak in early January, when the US recorded 1.7 million new cases in seven days, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The US added 103,024 new cases and 3,885 new deaths on Thursday, per the database, bringing the seven-day rolling averages for each metric to 101,520 and 2,778, respectively.
Hollywood's exclusive Magic Castle opened its doors to the public for a blood drive on Thursday (pictured)
The famous restaurant and private club, which is typically open only to magicians, magic enthusiasts and members of the Academy of Magical Arts, hosted the blood drive with the Red Cross and offered antibody tests for people to see if their plasma could be donated to help COVID-19 sufferers recover
Magician David Gabbay performs a trick for people who donated blood at the Magic Castle on Thursday
The unorthodox drive came as Los Angeles moved to temporarily close five major vaccination centers, including its giant Dodger Stadium site, on Thursday due to a dire shortage of jabs
Over the past week new cases have fallen by 10 percent or more in 39 states and remained steady in the other 11. North Dakota has seen the largest decrease at 56 percent, followed by Wyoming at 51 percent and Texas at 41 percent.
Hospitalizations have seen a similar downward trend in recent days, with a total of 74,225 patients receiving care on Monday. That's a decrease of over 26.5 percent from two weeks ago, and nearly 43 percent from a month ago.
Deaths have also declined by 9.5 percent in the last week, for a total of about 475,040 to date.
Over the past week the seven-day average for deaths has fallen by 10 percent or more in 22 states, remained steady in 17 states and risen by more than 10 percent in 11 states.
The promising recent trends came as the US continues ramping up vaccine distribution, with 46,390,270 doses administered to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Wednesday one dose of a vaccine has been administered to 34,723,964 people, which equals to about 10.6 percent of the US population.
Just over 11,188,782 Americans have now received both doses of a vaccine, amounting to just over 3.4 percent of the population.
In the last week infections have fallen by 23 percent from the week prior and 57 percent from the country's all-time peak in early January, when the US recorded 1.7 million new cases in seven days, according to the COVID Tracking Project
Hospitalizations have seen a similar downward trend in recent days, with a total of 74,225 patients receiving care on Monday. That's a decrease of over 26.5 percent from two weeks ago, and nearly 43 percent from a month ago
The seven-day rolling average for new cases (grey line) now stands at 101,520, down from 130,569 a week ago. The seven-day rolling average for daily deaths (red line) is 2,778, down from 2,997 a week ago
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti raised alarm about his city's shortage of vaccines on Thursday as he moved to close five major vaccination centers until more doses arrive.
'We're vaccinating people faster than new vials are arriving here in Los Angeles, and I'm very concerned right now,' Garcetti said, slamming the vaccine supply as 'uneven... unpredictable and too often inequitable'.
Los Angeles received only 16,000 doses of vaccine this week, Garcetti said, despite having administered just over 13,000 doses per day in recent weeks. The city has so far delivered 293,000 shots among its four million residents.
First injections of the Moderna vaccine will run out Thursday evening, the mayor added, with sites including the Dodgers baseball stadium - one of the nation's largest such operations - not expected to reopen until Tuesday earliest.
Until then, inoculation services in surrounding Los Angeles county will be restricted to second shots.
So far, only health workers, nursing home residents, and residents over 65 are eligible to receive the vaccine in the county.
Even so, health authorities have announced plans to extend vaccination to other 'essential' professions, including teachers, within the next two to three weeks.
Motorists line up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a Los Angeles County location at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday
Hector Ortiz (second left) speaks to a healthcare worker after receiving a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine outside the Los Angeles Mission located in the Skid Row community on Wednesday
The Magic Castle has tried to do its part to ease Los Angeles' burden during the pandemic by joining with the Red Cross to host numerous blood drives like the one on Thursday.
In light of the health crisis, the Red Cross has offered testing for COVID-19 antibodies, which could help identify people who may be able to donate convalescent plasma to help infected people recover from the virus faster.
Anyone wishing to attend the blood drives is required to make an appointment beforehand. Extensive safety precautions are taken inside the Castle's clubhouse, which was covered in socially-distanced recliners for donors on Thursday.
The Magic Castle, founded in 1909, was forced to shut down its usual operations as a performance venue and restaurant when the coronavirus took hold in the US last spring.
But prior to the pandemic it was seen as one of Hollywood's most beloved landmarks, offering back-to-back magic shows every night - for those connected enough to get in.
Members and their guests adhered to a strict dress code, uttering a password before being cleared for entry through a door hidden in a bookcase. Associate members paid initiation fees of $1,500, with annual payments of $750, according to the Los Angeles Magazine.
A sign reading 'Donate Blood' is seen in front of The Magic Castle during the Red Cross blood drive on Thursday
Magician Richard Costantinou performs a trick in front of blood donors during the Magic Castle blood drive on Thursday
People donate blood at a Red Cross blood drive at the Magic Castle on Thursday
Magician Richard Costantinou performs a trick in front of blood donors during the Red Cross blood drive on Thursday
Vials sit on a table waiting to be filled with blood during a donation drive at the Magic Castle on Thursday
Magician David Gabbay performs a trick with a rope in front of blood donors during the Red Cross blood drive on Thursday
Despite a recent sharp decline in statewide cases, California this week surpassed New York as the US state with most reported Covid deaths.
While New York was hit severely in the pandemic's early months, California - the nation's most populous state - became a major COVID-19 infection epicenter this winter.
The state has been criticized for its slow and overly complicated rollout of the vaccine, with a bid to recall Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly nearing the threshold required for a vote.
While many elderly people, police and emergency rescue workers are still on the waiting list, some cannabis store workers have already been vaccinated, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
In California, cannabis is not only legal but classed as a medicine, giving dispensary staff 'medical worker' status and early access to vaccines.
The state this week also confirmed its first cases of the South African variant.
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