312K doses of vaccine due this week

L.A. County reports 22 deaths, 1,313 new coronavirus cases as major shipment of shots start rolling in

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials reported 22 new deaths and 1,313 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. The lower-than-usual numbers may be reflective of scaledback weekend record keeping, but marked significant decline from an uptick in mid-week numbers that raised concern for officials after weeks of statistical downturns.

The new numbers brought the county’s totals to 1,203,152 cases and 22,029 deaths since the pandemic began. Nearly 5.9 mission county residents have been tests so far, with 19% testing positive.

State officials reported 1,132 L.A. County residents being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, down 44 patients from Saturday, with 356 in intensive-care units. Hospitalizations — which pushed medical teams to the brink and crowded hospitals, morgues and mortuaries during the relentless winter surge — have not been this low since Nov. 14, an encouraging sign that the pandemic may be easing in Southern California.

Public Health aims to take giant strides against the outbreak this week. In what officials hope is the beginning of the end of severe vaccine shortages, the county next week will receive its largest vaccine allotment to date, with nearly two-thirds of the supply being used to administer first doses.

Dr. Paul Simon, the county Department of Public Health’s chief science officer, said the county will receive 312,000 doses of vaccine next week, including 53,700 doses of the newly authorized single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Of the allotment, 62% will be used for first doses — reversing a recent trend of most shots being reserved for people in need of their second dose.

As of Friday, 2,415,460 doses of vaccine have been administered in the county, Simon said. That includes 814,593 second doses, meaning that many people have been fully vaccinated.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the city of Los Angeles has surpassed a half-million doses, with 511,698 shots administered as of Friday at city-run sites. The city has given out approximately 96% of its received supply, Garcetti said. The total doses represent more than 20% of the total vaccinations administered in L.A. County.

An L.A. city-run vaccination site will open at USC starting Tuesday. The University Park campus site is expected to be able to administer thousands of vaccinations per day once it’s fully operational.

The increase in doses is welcome news in a county with in

creasingly large numbers of residents eligible to receive shots. Roughly 1.7 million essential workers, including teachers, became eligible this week, on top of the health care workers and residents aged 65 and over who were already eligible.

And starting March 15, Simon said the county will adhere to new state guidance that expands eligibility to everyone aged 16 to 64 with an underlying health condition that makes them susceptible to severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Simon said county officials, however, are still awaiting more guidance from the state on how to determine who will fall into that eligibility category.

“We’re a bit concerned because, you know, there are a number of health

conditions on the list, and in addition, at the end of the list is a category of ‘disability’ which would allow someone to have eligibility, if the disability gets in the way, for example, of accessing medical services for COVID. And there are some other criteria, but I think that needs to be defined a little more clearly.”

He said that ideally, people with such disabilities or health conditions would be able to get the vaccine from their own doctors.

“At a large community (vaccine site), where people are presenting and we don’t know anything about their medical history, it’s challenging,” Simon said. “I think we might have to rely on a letter from the provider, of course, those letters could be forged.”

Though statistical signs are looking up for the county, officials warned against taking unnecessary trips during Spring Beach, to prevent

from fueling superspreaders — such as the post-holiday surges that have increased the county’s caseloads after July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Disneyland, Universal Studios and other theme parks across California, along with sports stadiums, can reopen as early as April 1 subject to counties’ rates of COVID-19 spread and with strict capacitycontrol mandates and required mask-wearing, state officials announced.

Last week’s announcement marked a major policy shift relating to theme parks, which the state had earlier said would not be permitted to reopen until their home counties reached the least-restrictive tier of the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” a four-level system guiding reopenings of businesses and other attractions.

Under the new guidance announced Friday by

the California Department of Public Health, theme parks will now be allowed to reopen when their home county reaches the “red” tier, the second-most-restrictive level of the economic blueprint.

L.A. County — home to Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain — and Orange County — home to the Disneyland Resort and Knott’s Berry Farm — are both still in the most restrictive “purple” tier, but both could advance to the “red” tier by the end of the month.

When the counties reach the “red” tier, theme parks can open at 15% of overall capacity. When they advance to the “orange” tier, capacity will be increased to 25%, and in the least-restrictive “yellow” tier, capacity of 35% will be allowed.

Karen Irwin, president/ COO of Universal Studios Hollywood, called the announcement “exciting

news.”

“We deeply appreciate the partnership with state and local health and government officials, and are thrilled to have finally arrived at this milestone announcement,” Irwin said.

Also, under the guidance announced Friday, outdoor sports and live performance venues can also reopen on April 1, also with capacity limits based on the county’s tier ranking.

For counties in the most restrictive “purple” tier, outdoor venues will be limited to a total of 100 people, with only local residents permitted, advance reservations or tickets required and no concessions or concourse sales allowed.

When counties reach the less-restrictive “red” tier, capacity will be increased to 20%, with primarily inseat

concessions allowed. In the even less-restrictive “orange” tier, 33% capacity will be allowed, and in the top “yellow” tier, capacity will increase to 67%.

Only in-state visitors will be permitted to the venues in counties in the “red,” “orange” and “yellow” tiers.

“We’re optimistic that California will continue to make progress in the fight against COVID-19 and that we can safely host fans to start the season,” said Dodgers President/CEO Stan Kasten.

“Safety is paramount,” he add, “and the Dodgers continue to work with local officials and Major League Baseball to finalize protocols to protect players, fans and staff.”