LA County COVID-19 numbers improve, but vaccinations continue to lag

While Los Angeles County continues to spot falling numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and different metrics, the gait of residents being vaccinated remains comparatively stagnant, and the county’s nationalist wellness manager connected Tuesday, Sept. 28, warned that the pandemic volition lone extremity if that gait quickens.

“Time is nary longer connected our side,” Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors. “We’ve been present before. During aboriginal autumn 2020, assemblage transmission was low, until past it wasn’t. Last wintertime was brutal. And fixed the unpredictability of the microorganism and its variants, we request to accelerate the gait of vaccinations, since this is the astir effectual instrumentality we person to forestall different deadly surge.

“So for those not yet vaccinated, delight reassess your determination and origin successful the 26,000 residents that person died of COVID,” she said.

Despite repeated calls for radical to get vaccinated — and the pending imposition of vaccine mandates astatine locations specified arsenic ample lawsuit venues and astatine indoor bars and different settings — the fig of archetypal doses being administered crossed the region continues to fall. During the week ending Sept. 19, astir 44,000 doses were administered successful the county, Ferrer said.

“For present it suggests that our vaccination advancement is going overmuch much dilatory than we request it to be,” she said. “And though booster shots are getting a batch of media attention, it’s inactive astir important for america to summation the numbers of archetypal dose recipients. The lone mode tot get to assemblage immunity is to get much radical vaccinated who person not yet received their archetypal dose.

“At the aforesaid clip that we proceed to promote those that are eligible to get their archetypal dose, fixed the important gaps successful coverage, mask-wearing and vaccine requirements are particularly important successful helping america trim the worst outcomes of COVID corruption and the accrued probability if unchecked transmission occurs that determination volition beryllium caller variants of concern.”

As of Sept. 23, 77% of eligible region residents aged 12 and implicit had received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 69% are afloat vaccinated.

Los Angeles County’s 100,000-plus employees are required by Friday to supply impervious of afloat vaccination. But region CEO Fesia Davenport told the committee Tuesday that truthful far, lone astir 67,000 employees had uploaded their vaccination presumption connected the county’s computerized data-collection system, and of those, 58,865 reported that they were afloat vaccinated, portion different 1,627 indicated they were partially vaccinated. Nearly 6,000 who registered connected the strategy reported they were not vaccinated, Davenport said.

Davenport noted that immoderate region employees reported their vaccination presumption earlier done idiosyncratic systems enacted by assorted departments anterior to the countywide vaccine mandate being issued. She said the region is moving to transportation that information into the countywide strategy “so we tin person much implicit information.”

On Tuesday, Ferrer reported different 29 COVID-19 deaths successful the county, raising the wide decease toll from the pandemic to 26,047. She said that translates to 1 of each 400 region residents dying from the virus.

She besides announced different 1,147 caller cases, bringing the cumulative pandemic full to 1,456,275.

The rolling mean regular complaint of radical investigating affirmative for the microorganism remained low, astatine astir 1%. Ferrer said the investigating positivity complaint and the complaint of caller cases are some down from past week.

Hospitalization numbers besides continued to fall, with authorities figures showing determination were 892 COVID-positive patients successful region hospitals arsenic of Tuesday, including 263 successful intensive care. That’s down from 908 patients connected Monday.

The fig of COVID-positive radical hospitalized successful the region has fallen 26 times successful the past 29 days, bringing the fig down from a summertime highest of astir 1,800.

Booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination became disposable successful Los Angeles County for prime residents, with national wellness officials giving last support to the further vaccine dose to bolster microorganism extortion for higher-risk groups.

An advisory sheet for the CDC connected Thursday recommended Pfizer booster shots for radical 65 and older, those successful semipermanent attraction facilities and radical 50-64 with underlying wellness conditions, arsenic good arsenic prime radical aged 18-49 with superior wellness issues. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky connected Friday endorsed the recommendation, and expanded it to see radical astatine accrued hazard of corruption owed to their occupation.

Booster shots are lone disposable for radical who received their 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine astatine slightest six months ago. Boosters person not yet been approved for radical who received the Moderna oregon Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Appointments for booster shots tin beryllium made done the state’s MyTurn website. Appointments tin besides beryllium made straight astatine pharmacies oregon clinics that connection Pfizer vaccines.

Ferrer has noted that the region has 1,300 fixed vaccination sites, on with 400 mobile clinics, meaning there’s a section capableness to administer 130,000 shots per day.