Channel 1 Los Angeles
10/1/2021 Los Angeles
There are 871 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are in the ICU. This is a decrease of 120 daily hospitalizations over the past week. Among residents 12 and older, unvaccinated people are 15 to more than 20 times likelier to be hospitalized than vaccinated residents 12 and older.
Testing results are available for nearly 8,640,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.6%.
There are various vaccination verification requirements affecting L.A. County residents and workers. Today, September 30, is the deadline for health care and home health care workers across L.A. County to be fully vaccinated. Earlier this week, the state issued a new order requiring workers in adult and senior care facilities and in home direct care settings to be fully vaccinated by November 30. L.A. County employees have until October 1 and L.A. City employees have until October 5.
On October 7, proof of full vaccination or a negative test result will be required to enter outdoor mega events, and proof of at least one dose of the vaccine will be required to enter or work in indoor portions of bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries, and distilleries in L.A. County. On November 4, bars and similar establishments throughout L.A. County will be required to verify full vaccination of all patrons and employees prior to entry to indoor portions of their establishments.
Under a state order, TK-12 school staff are required to be vaccinated by October 15 or test weekly. LAUSD students participating in extracurricular activities must be fully vaccinated by October 31, and Culver City students are required to be vaccinated by November 19. All LAUSD students 12 and over must be fully vaccinated by December 19. President Biden’s executive order requires federal workers to be fully vaccinated by November 22.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those of you who have lost friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we go through the next couple of months, helping organizations and establishments comply with vaccination requirements will be a focus for our public health teams. We continue to see high rates of compliance with other safety measures and anticipate similar cooperation with the implementation of the vaccination verification requirements. Targeted vaccination requirements are a critical strategy for keeping people safe – and they have a lot in common with many other public health measures employed to protect people from harm. Unvaccinated persons are more likely to get infected and spread the virus, which is transmitted through the air. The goal of these targeted vaccination mandates is to reduce the risks to keep everyone safe while moving us as quickly as possible toward the end of the pandemic.”
With cases declining in communities and schools, the County can focus on increasing vaccination rates as quickly as possible to avoid the disruption that would come with future waves of infection.
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