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Friday, December 11, 2020
Construction workers are testing positive for the virus at higher rates than workers in other industries.
Another record was broken with yesterday’s COVID-19 data: There were 12,819 new cases in L.A. County. — KTLA
The Food and Drug Administration is one step closer to approving the Pfizer vaccine, as an advisory panel composed of independent experts just approved its use. — New York Times
L.A. County has canceled next year’s count of the homeless population, a volunteer-driven effort that usually takes place once every two years. — NBC Los Angeles
A recent report showed that construction workers appear to have the highest rate of COVID-19 positivity, far ahead of health care and food service workers. — NBC Los Angeles
Thursday, December 10, 2020
California Launches COVID-19 Tracker Smartphone App
The city will waive some parking fines during the current stay-at-home order.
Yesterday, L.A. County reported 9,243 new COVID-19 cases and 75 related deaths. Currently, the county has 1,096 hospital beds and 129 intensive care unit beds available. The first child in L.A. has died from the coronavirus-linked multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. — CBS Los Angeles
You can order a free at-home COVID-19 testing kit to avoid visiting a testing center in person through Jan. 15, 2021. — KTLA
Though they were initially closed as part of the stay-at-home order, playgrounds are now open. — L.A. Times
Starting today, you can opt in to use California’s COVID-19 exposure app, CA Notify, which tracks a user’s possible exposure to the virus. — KRON
For L.A. restaurant owners, the current ban on outdoor dining is far more difficult to deal with than the initial shutdown earlier in the year. Some are openly defying the order, while others are urging lawmakers to reconsider the restriction. — Eater Los Angeles
L.A. County is suspending some parking fines in light of current stay-at-home restrictions. — L.A. Times
Ellen DeGeneres and Carrie Ann Inaba of “Dancing with the Stars” have both tested positive for COVID-19. — CBS Los Angeles, ABC Los Angeles
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
L.A. Prepares to Receive 84,000 Vaccines Next Week
ICU nurses are voicing concerns over burnout and a lack of rigorous COVID-19 testing for hospital employees.
L.A. County expects to receive its first 84,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week. High-exposure health care workers will be prioritized, and two doses of the vaccine are required for it to be effective. Britain has also begun administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was also recently approved by the Canadian government. — LAist, USA TODAY
Yesterday, California broke its record for the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in a single day. South Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley are experiencing the sharpest increase of new cases in L.A. County. — L.A. Times, Patch
The number of L.A.-based health care workers testing positive for the virus has doubled over the last two weeks, totaling 1,745 — the highest number ever reported in the county. — LAist
More than half of the children in L.A. County’s main juvenile halls are currently quarantined following exposure to someone with COVID-19. — WitnessLA
One L.A. city council member is questioning whether a ban on outdoor dining will reduce the virus’s spread. — Spectrum News 1
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Southern California Receives Phone Alert Urging Residents to Stay Home
During a weekend raid, L.A. sheriffs arrested 158 people at an underground house party.
Today, Southern California residents received an Amber Alert-style notification urging people to stay home except for essential activity. As of Sunday night, Southern California’s intensive care unit capacity was 10.9%, and on Monday, 8,086 new cases were reported in L.A. County. — ABC Los Angeles, KCRW, Los Angeles Daily News
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new statewide phone notification system, “CA Notify,” developed by Google and Apple. It launches this Thursday and allows residents to voluntarily opt-in to receive notifications when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. — KCRA
According to Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s public health director, dwindling ICU capacity has less to do with the number of beds and more to do with the limited number of hospital staff who can treat patients. Gov. Newsom also announced that California will bring in out-of-state nurses to assist hospitals.— Pasadena Now, KTLA
At a weekend raid of a “superspreader” party in Palmdale, L.A. sheriffs arrested 158 people and rescued one human trafficking victim. — Los Angeleno
Monday, December 7, 2020
3 Counties Seek to Split from Southern California, Form New Region in State’s COVID-19 Regulatory Plan
Per LAUSD superintendent, all campuses will cease in-person instruction through the remainder of the fall semester.
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley became the first regions in the state to implement a new stay-at-home mandate Sunday night as intensive care unit capacity dropped below 15%. Restaurants must cease outdoor dining operations, while hair and nail salons, museums, playgrounds and wineries will be required to close. Gatherings of people from different households are prohibited, except for outdoor religious services and political demonstrations. — L.A. Times
In an effort to avoid regional COVID-19 regulations, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties announced they will appeal the state to allow them to separate from Southern California and establish their own region — the Central Coast. “A smaller regional approach is important for our community members and struggling businesses,” Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers said in a statement. — KTLA
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner announced that all of the district’s in-person instruction and child care programs will close through the remainder of the fall semester starting Thursday. LAUSD’s Grab & Go Food Centers will remain open. — Patch
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been selected as one of the first hospitals in the state to store and distribute COVID-19 vaccines because of its cold storage capabilities. The first vaccine expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration is the Pfizer vaccine, which must be stored in negative 80-degree Celsius. — ABC Los Angeles