Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer was blunt about the region’s coronavirus conditions, calling this time — nearly nine months in — “the most difficult moment in the pandemic.”

Both cases and hospitalizations have hit unprecedented levels. And officials fully expect conditions to deteriorate rapidly in the coming weeks, following Thanksgiving gatherings and other holiday-related events.

“The increases we’re seeing now are not sustainable,” Ferrer said. “They’re not sustainable, because they’re gonna overwhelm not just our healthcare system, but the entire state’s healthcare system.”

Such predictions have been echoed by state officials and public health experts.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.