City Of Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti - Update 2/11/21 - VaxFacts

Press release from the Venice Chamber of Commerce:

February 16, 2021

This week, the City has been getting more shots into more arms, more quickly, and at more locations. We’re doing it safely and efficiently –– and we’ve already distributed 98 percent of the vaccine doses we’ve been given.

But we still don’t have enough vaccines. As a result, today the City will exhaust our current supply. Unfortunately, that means that we’ll have to temporarily close our five City vaccination sites. As soon as we receive more supply, we’ll re-open these sites –– most likely next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Here’s the bottom line: We are making progress, but we need more vaccines. We need to be able to plan for them. L.A. is ready –– not just to meet capacity, but to ramp up vaccinations as soon as we get more doses.

Here are the facts you need to know:

• ELIGIBLE NOW: All L.A. residents 65 and older are eligible for the vaccine in L.A. County, in addition to healthcare workers, certain essential frontline workers, and residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities.
• UP NEXT: Yesterday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health announced that those who are in Phase 1B, Tier 1 –– including teachers and workers in education and childcare, food and agriculture, and emergency service and law enforcement –– will become eligible for vaccination in the next few weeks. Sign up to be automatically notified when you become eligible for the vaccine. You can also check what phase you'll be in.
• VACCINATION SITES: More than 350 locations are currently vaccinating people in L.A. County. As doses become available in the coming month, more sites and providers will administer shots. When your turn arrives, you can make an appointment through the County hub and bring your ID to the site. If you are 65 or older, have a disability, or do not have access to the internet and need assistance making your vaccination appointment, you can contact the County’s Call Center –– open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. –– at (833) 540-0473. You can also talk with your doctor about getting vaccinated.
• MOBILE VACCINATION CLINICS: Black and Latino Angelenos are signing up for vaccinations at City sites at disproportionately lower rates. In response, last week we launched a pilot program to bring mobile vaccination clinics directly to Black and Latino communities in partnership with trusted community organizations. In the program’s first week, we administered over 1,700 shots –– two thirds of which went to Black Angelenos and 90 percent to Angelenos of color. We’ll continue to expand our mobile clinic capacity to reach additional parts of the city.
• BY THE NUMBERS: The City of Los Angeles has administered more than 293,252 vaccine doses at our five City-run vaccination sites. In the last week, our centers have provided 91,362 life-saving vaccinations –– a 27 percent increase over the previous week.

• SECOND DOSE: If you’ve gotten your first dose at a City or County site, your second dose appointment will be scheduled automatically. You’ll receive an email and text message 3 to 7 days before your second dose appointment, telling you where to go and when. The second appointment will be scheduled within the CDC’s recommended timeline. While it’s possible to change the time of your follow-up appointment, we strongly recommend keeping the slot you’ve been given.
• AVOIDING VACCINE FRAUD AND SCAMS: It’s important to be on the lookout for vaccination scams. Red flags include messages suggesting that vaccination is required by law, ads from unofficial sources on social media, and offers to jump the vaccine line by paying a fee. Remember: no one legitimate will ever try to sell you the vaccine –– online, over the phone, or in person.
• GET THE LATEST INFORMATION: Get key information by signing up for email updates from the L.A. County Department of Public Health. When your turn comes, make an appointment. Tell your friends and family to sign up for this VaxFacts newsletter or follow us at @MayorOfLA on Twitter. You can check out our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more.

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12/12/20

Hope is on the horizon –– the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee endorsed the first COVID-19 vaccine. If approved, it will help stop this deadly disease. But the worst of this pandemic is not yet behind us. It will take months before many Angelenos get vaccinated, so we're in for a long, hard winter.

The nightmare scenario we’ve managed to avoid is staring us in the face: COVID-19 cases at record highs. Hospitals coming dangerously close to exceeding their ICU capacity. More and more lives lost every day to this virus.

We must act now to protect our loved ones and our community. Please follow the guidance from County and State public health officials asking everyone to stay home as much as possible and limit non-essential activities.

All of us have sacrificed so much this year –– and we are all frustrated and fatigued. Yet as the worst hits us, we need to keep doing our part. We need to stay home and avoid gatherings with anyone outside of our household. We need to wear masks and maintain our physical distance from others anytime we leave our homes. We need to thoroughly wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. These steps will save lives.

The State’s Regional Stay Home Order went into effect this week. These closures and restrictions will work, if we follow them. They worked for us in the spring and they worked in many countries around the world this fall when the virus spiked there.

Los Angeles County and City already acted last week, so most of the state’s restrictions are not new. What changed is that personal care services –– like hair and nail salons, along with zoos, museums, and aquariums –– as well as family entertainment centers, like miniature golf, batting cages, and go-kart tracks, are closed.

Hotels are closed to tourists and can only provide accommodation for essential activities. Campgrounds cannot have overnight stays.

Please do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Just like Thanksgiving, we need to stay home for Christmas and celebrate with our loved ones virtually or only with members of our own households.

Our website has additional details and resources to support residents, workers, and businesses during these challenging times.

I know these changes can be overwhelming, and this crisis can feel like it’ll never end. And it’s even harder when the rules keep changing. But we have to keep at it. We have simply lost too many of our neighbors to this deadly virus.

Simply put: L.A. is facing the greatest threat to life in the history of our city –– and the decisions we make right now will help us protect our healthcare workers and beat this virus.

As we continue to endure this pandemic, I strongly encourage outdoor recreation and exercise. Our physical fitness and mental health are absolutely vital, especially during these stressful times. We can take walks through our neighborhoods, visit our beaches, run trails, or go on hikes with members of our households. Reach out to a friend or loved one virtually to check in. Let’s get through this, together.

New COVID-19 assistance
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our economy and families. A new federal relief package is long overdue, and we need help from Washington to deliver the assistance needed right now.

But here in L.A., we’re doing everything we can to help Angelenos through these difficult times, including new programs to provide assistance for food service workers, local businesses, and vulnerable students:

• The SERVE initiative is providing financial assistance to thousands of food service workers. Visit Coronavirus.LACity.org/SERVE to learn more.
• L.A. Optimized is helping our local businesses go digital with website optimization, branding, marketing, and more. Businesses can learn more at Coronavirus.LACity.org/LAOptimized.
• The Angeleno Connectivity Trust is providing free internet service to K-12 students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, young people with disabilities, and at-risk youth. More information can be found at LAMayor.org/Connectivity.

You can find more information on our COVID-19 website.

Preparing for the holidays
There’s nothing tougher than knowing we can’t get together with our families or friends over the holidays. But we have to make changes now so we can get back to our favorite traditions next year.

So let’s spread #LALove by celebrating the holidays safer at home or virtually. It’s time to cancel any holiday gatherings and avoid non-essential travel. These choices are necessary to protect the people we love, and you can find creative ideas for the coming season at Coronavirus.LACity.org/Holidays.

Every year, my wife, Amy, and I partner with LA Original to support small businesses during this time. Usually, we invite local makers and shops to exhibit their items at Getty House and invite shoppers to find holiday gifts in person. These enterprises have been — and remain — the cornerstones of our city.

Even though we can’t pick out gifts in person, we can still step forward to support our small businesses virtually. You can visit LAOriginal.com to shop at 50 local establishments — many owned and operated by women and Angelenos of color.

I know how tough this is, and I know we just want this pandemic to end and some sense of normalcy to return. But I also know that every one of us has a part to play to reach our goal –– and save lives. There’s hope in a vaccine, but until it’s available to all of us, we must trust our State and County public health officials and follow their guidance.

I have no doubt we will get through this, as one city. That begins by doing what we’ve done from the start: stay healthy, stay safe, and stay home.

Thank you for responding to this emergency with courage, compassion, wisdom, and resolve to overcome this crisis and help each other.

Taking these steps is an act of love — for our city, for our communities, for all of us. Thank you for helping us keep L.A. healthy and safe.

Eric Garcetti
Your Mayor

This press release was produced by the Venice Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed are the author's own.