County Of Los Angeles - Celebrating Christmas Safely, Severity Of Coronavirus And Impacts To Hospitals, Coronavirus Vaccine Scams

Press release from the Venice Chamber of Commerce:

December 21, 2020

Celebrating Christmas Safely

The safest way to celebrate the holidays this year, is to stay home and celebrate only with people who live in your household.

Please do not host or attend get-togethers or parties. The actions we take this week and next, will impact whether we see more or less cases of COVID-19 two weeks from now, and beyond. Let's keep everyone we can healthy and alive until it is their turn to receive the vaccine. Only go out for work, exercise or for essential services. When you must leave your home, always wear a face covering and stay at least 6 feet away from people you do not live with at all times. If you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, isolate immediately from your family and others. Individuals with underlying health conditions and those that are older should remain in their home and not be around others unless seeking essential health and dental care. If you are having difficulty breathing, go to an emergency room or call 911.

The fewer people you and your household have in-person contact with, the lower your risk of getting COVID19.

To stay up to date on the latest public health guidance, click here.

Worth Watching: CNN, Southern California ICU Beds at 0% Capacity

Dr. Christina Ghaly, Director, LA County Department of Health Services spoke about the current hospital capacity in the County where healthcare workers are hard-pressed to keep up with the need for care.

To listen to the complete interview, click here.

Avoiding COVID-19 Vaccine Scams

Whenever there is a health crisis, scammers will find ways to cheat people out of their money. During the coronavirus pandemic, scammers are using robocalls, social media posts, and emails to take advantage of fear, anxiety, and confusion about COVID-19. They sell things that don’t work, charge money for things that are free, and steal personal information. Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is in Los Angeles County, scammers are targeting local residents with new, vaccine-related schemes. Beware!

COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed in Los Angeles County in a fair and transparent way. If someone offers to sell you a chance to get vaccinated before it is your turn, it’s a scam.

• Vaccine is only being offered to healthcare workers and people who live in long-term care facilities (for example nursing homes) right now.
• Essential workers who cannot work from home are likely to be offered the vaccine next because they are at high risk of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Older adults, and adults with medical conditions might also be next because they are more likely to become very sick if they get COVID-19.
• Children under 16 years of age will not be offered vaccine in the near future. The vaccines are not allowed to be given to this age group.
• As more vaccine is available it will be offered to everyone. This will likely take months. Vaccine may not be offered to the general public until Spring/Summer 2021.
• Information about how to get the vaccine will be posted on the Public Health’s COVID-19 webpage (ph.lacounty.gov/Coronavirus/vaccine/) when vaccine is available for different groups.
• If you have questions, talk to your doctor. Call 2-1-1 or visit the 211LA website if you need help finding a doctor.

#HereForTheHolidays

The County of L.A. is hosting a free, drive-up food distribution event at the Santa Monica Airport on Thursday. To date, we’ve delivered nearly 6 million meals to hungry families in need. If you need support during the holidays, we can connect you to resources. #LetsFeedLACounty this holiday season, visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/get-support/.

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