County Of Los Angeles - Update 1/19/20 - Updates About COVID-19 Vaccine

Press release from the Venice Chamber of Commerce:

January 19, 2021

Important Updates About the COVID-19 Vaccine

Los Angeles County residents who are 65 years old and older can now register for COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

Residents in this high-priority age group should visit VaccinateLACounty.com to schedule their appointments, which will begin Wednesday, January 20th. Residents who don’t have computer access may call (833) 540-0473 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. for assistance with reservations.

The vaccine supply is still extremely limited, and Los Angeles County continues to urge patience as we work urgently with our federal and state partners to expand capacity and supply in the weeks ahead.

To ensure that people at higher risk of transmission and illness are vaccinated first, Los Angeles County has established a tier system. In addition to those 65+, priority for current vaccination is going to frontline health care workers and residents and staff at skilled nursing and long-term care facilities.

This strategy works to protect our entire community by ensuring that our most vulnerable and most critical healthcare workers do not get sick.

The opening of appointment registration for a new tier today comes as the County opens five large capacity vaccination sites across the County.

The five established sites, which were chosen for their regional accessibility and their ability to handle large capacities of people, are:

• Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA 91768
• The Forum, 3900 W Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305
• California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330
• L.A. County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey, CA 90242
• Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy., Valencia, CA 91355

These large-scale vaccination sites started operating Tuesday, January 19, and will be able to vaccinate approximately 4,000 people per day at each site, significantly increasing the number of people vaccinated. The large-scale vaccination sites will aim to vaccinate 500,000 Los Angeles County residents in a month.

Vaccinations are free, and available to all, regardless of immigration status or insurance coverage. For those who have insurance, coverage information may be requested as part of the appointment scheduling process.

In addition to the L.A. County operated sites, residents have other options for making an appointment for a vaccine. Currently, more than 75 pharmacies have registered to provide vaccinations, and we will continue to add more as more vaccines are available. Vaccine allocations are also going to large healthcare provider organizations like Kaiser Permanente and Providence Health and Services. In addition, residents may call their healthcare provider, as well, who may direct them to a preferred location for the vaccine.

For up-to-date information on LA County’s vaccine program, visit VaccinateLACounty.com.

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1/13/21

COVID Safety in the Workplace, Critical Now More than Ever

There are currently 540 open outbreak investigations across L.A. County, the highest we've ever had. Businesses MUST continue to follow public health protocols to slow the spread.

Visit the following resource hub with information designed to help businesses across the County communicate steps they are taking to operate as safely as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic: Safer at Work Los Angeles County.

Vaccine Rollout Continues

The vaccine is free for everyone and is being offered to different groups in phases. Groups currently being vaccinated include staff who work in acute care hospitals, residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities, and emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

It is likely that the vaccine will be available to the general public in Spring/Summer 2021. Click here to see what tier you are in for the vaccine rollout.

For regular updates and to sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Email Newsletter, click here.

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12/30/20

Stay at Home Order Extended, Park and Connect: Free WiFi Service, Let's Feed L.A. and Vaccine Misinformation

A daily collection of up-to-date content you can use to keep your community informed. Please copy, paste, download and share:

Stay at Home Order Exended

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that the State imposed Stay at Home Order has been extended. Public Health also extended the Temporary Health Officer Order, which will remain in effect for as long as the State Public Health Officer's Regional Stay At Home remains in effect in the Southern California region. Please adhere to Public Health guidelines to stay home. Stay safe and do everything you can to protect your loved ones and your neighbors.

"2020 has been an extremely difficult year, that goes without saying. As the year comes to an end, we know you want to celebrate. Please don’t go out for New Year’s Eve. Don’t celebrate with people outside your household. We have to get this surge under control. If we don’t, the beginning of 2021 will be even worse than the end of 2020." - Dr. Christina Ghaly, MD, Director, Department of Health Services

Park & Connect WiFi Service

Through funding provided from the Coronavirus Relief Fund Spending Plan, LA County Library is excited to announce a new service, Park & Connect: free outdoor Wi-Fi in the parking lots of participating libraries.

Park & Connect will allow LA County residents who lack reliable internet service at home to benefit from outdoor LA County Library Wi-Fi hotspots. For those who need internet access for work, schooling, health-related information, or to complete essential tasks such as ordering groceries and household supplies, free Wi-Fi coverage has been extended to the entirety of participating parking lots.

The Library’s Park & Connect program allows anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device to get connected with ease. Just park in a designated parking spot and use your device within your car. If you do not have a car, you may sit within 25 feet of the library to use the Wi-Fi network. Masks and social distancing of at least 6 feet are required if you are sitting outside. Accessing the network is simple. Using a laptop or mobile device, choose the network CountyLibraryWiFi, accept the terms of agreement, and then close and reopen your browser. A library card is not required to access the network.

For a list of participating locations and more information about Park & Connect, visit LACountyLibrary.org/Wi-Fi.

Let's Feed L.A.

Our #HereForTheHolidays campaign has provided 120,000 free meals to vulnerable communities this month. If your constituents are suffering from food insecurity, the County of Los Angeles can help them find a hot meal or a nearby food pantry. We can also help them find year-round support by enrolling them in the CalFresh program, which provides monthly benefits for groceries. For information on requesting assistance, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/get-support

Vaccine Misinformation

Myth 4: These vaccines use genetic material to fight the virus. That means they can affect our genes.
The Facts: These vaccines do use genetic material, called mRNA (that stands for “messenger” RNA) to fight the virus but it doesn’t do anything to your genes.

View the complete COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation guide here.

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12/21/20

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.