Rapid COVID testing site opens at LAX International Terminal

One time aft confirming the county’s archetypal lawsuit of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, a rapid-testing tract opened astatine Los Angeles International Airport connected Friday, Dec. 3, offering escaped — but voluntary — COVID tests for arriving planetary passengers.

The COVID investigating astatine the Tom Bradley International Terminal is being offered strictly connected a voluntary basis, since determination is nary national request for inbound passengers to beryllium tested.

“The national authorities is highly recommending that radical get tested,” region Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. “We volition person our wellness workers retired there, arsenic well, talking to people, making definite they recognize the value of testing. We are utilizing a accelerated antigen trial there, truthful radical volition beryllium capable to get their results earlier they permission the airport.”

She added that anyone who tests antagonistic volition beryllium fixed a take-home trial kit truthful they tin trial themselves again 3 to 5 days later.

Health officials are making a renewed telephone for radical to get tested for COVID if they make immoderate symptoms, and besides to bash truthful if they traveled implicit the Thanksgiving vacation either overseas oregon to states with precocious rates of microorganism transmission.

“As we participate wintertime and look the Omicron variant, utilizing what we person learned implicit the past 2 years volition marque a large quality for friends and families preparing to stitchery for the holidays and those astir at-risk,” Ferrer said successful a connection Friday. “We are grateful to our partners for the encouraging trends, arsenic astatine slightest 80% of radical experiencing homelessness person received their 2nd dose of Pfizer oregon Moderna vaccine, and admit the continued efforts to amended coverage.”

The region Department of Public Health connected Friday reported different driblet successful the complaint of infections among the homeless, with lone 44 caller cases for the week ending Nov. 14, compared to 63 the week of Oct. 11.

The caller LAX investigating installation was opened Friday amid increasing concerns astir the Omicron variant, which has led to a startling emergence successful infections successful South Africa. Just hours aft announcing plans for the airdrome investigating installation Thursday, the region confirmed the archetypal section lawsuit of the Omicron variant, which was designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization past week, and by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.

The variant was archetypal detected successful South Africa, and it has present dispersed to dozens of different countries, and multiple. U.S. states. The archetypal U.S. lawsuit was confirmed Wednesday successful San Francisco.

The section Omicron diligent confirmed precocious Thursday day is simply a Los Angeles County nonmigratory who returned to the country Nov. 22 aft traveling to South Africa via London. The corruption was deemed to beryllium “most apt question related.” The unidentified diligent is afloat vaccinated against COVID-19, and has symptoms that are improving, wellness officials said. The person’s adjacent contacts person each tested antagonistic for the virus.

It is inactive unclear if the Omicron variant is much highly transmissible than different forms of the virus, oregon if it causes much terrible unwellness oregon tin evade the extortion offered by existent vaccines. But its accelerated dispersed successful South Africa has raised alarms, peculiarly up of the wintertime vacation play and accompanying question and gatherings.

The region connected Friday reported different 17 deaths owed to COVID-19, raising the wide decease toll to 27,225.

Another 1,942 cases were reported, giving the region a pandemic full of 1,532,430. The rolling mean regular complaint of radical investigating affirmative for the microorganism was 1% arsenic of Friday.

According to authorities figures, determination were 572 radical hospitalized with COVID-19 successful Los Angeles County arsenic of Friday, up somewhat from 569 connected Thursday. The fig of those patients successful intensive attraction was 145, down from 152 a time earlier.

According to the latest region figures, of the much than 6.1 cardinal afloat vaccinated radical successful the county, 80,445 person tested positive, oregon astir 1.32%. A full of 2,680 vaccinated radical person been hospitalized, for a complaint of 0.044%, and 503 person died, for a complaint of 0.008%.

So far, 83% of region residents aged 12 and implicit person received astatine slightest 1 dose of vaccine, and 74% are afloat vaccinated. Of each eligible residents aged 5 and over, 76% person received astatine slightest 1 dose, and 68% are afloat vaccinated.

Black residents proceed to person the lowest complaint of vaccinated, with conscionable 55% having received astatine slightest 1 dose. The complaint is 60% among Latino/a residents, 73% among achromatic residents and 82% among Asians.