⁍ Tents are being put up to handle even more cases in Imperial County, California.
⁍ The county has seen far more infections, hospitalizations and deaths than its size warrants.
⁍ One in four people in El Centro live below the poverty line, and unemployment rates have steadily been way above the rest of the country.
⁍ Hospital CEO: ‘When folks say it’s a war zone, well, a war zone of what? A war zone of us trying to combat Covid-19

– California’s Imperial County has seen more cases of coronavirus than any other county in the state—and the death rate there is nearly twice that of any other state. The county has three times the number of infections per capita than Los Angeles, and its Covid death rate is nearly twice that of any other California county, the Los Angeles Times reports. “We feel like we’re overwhelmed with so many patients,” says a nurse at the El Centro Regional Medical Center. “They’re just so sick.” Tents are being put up to deal with the outbreak, and first responders are donning protective suits and masks before they approach sick people. “Emotionally, mentally, it’s starting to really wear down on a lot of us,” says a local fire captain. “I wish people would really take Covid seriously for all the health care workers, firefighters, EMS crews, our hospital staff. We’re inundated. Everybody’s really tired. … I’ve been here a long time with this department—29 plus years. This is the worst I’ve seen it.”