City Of Hermosa Beach Coronavirus Update For January 21, 2021

Press release from the City of Hermosa Beach:

January 21, 2021

To help keep the community informed, the City of Hermosa Beach is providing regular updates featuring the latest news about COVID-19; related local updates; and how the City is working to meet the needs of the community and protect public health.

People age 65 and Older now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccines: Los Angeles County residents who are 65 years old and older can now register for COVID-19 vaccination appointments. 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. Residents in this high-priority age group should visit the Los Angeles County website to schedule their appointments, which began yesterday. 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 County has acknowledged both are experiencing a high volume of requests, and that residents are having difficulties accessing appointments. With almost 1.4 million residents aged 65 and older, and between 700,000-800,000 eligible healthcare workers, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported yesterday that the number of vaccines required to complete 2 doses is over 4 million.

Since doses first arrived 5 weeks ago on December 14, the county said it has received only 853,650 doses. Only a very limited number of vaccination appointments are currently available for frontline health care workers and county residents aged 65 years and older. Residents in this high-priority age group may receive communication from their health care provider with information about COVID-19 vaccinations and how to receive one through their provider.

The opening of appointment registration for a new tier 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.

Los Angeles County Update: L.A. County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 262 new deaths and 8,512 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. There are 7,263 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 23% of these people are in the ICU. To date, Public Health has identified 1,046,021 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 14,641 deaths. Last week, the seven-day average of new cases was 15,182. This week, the seven-day average of cases is 10,560, a decrease of 30 percent. Hospitalizations have also decreased this week, down 7 percent since last week Thursday.

Yesterday, the California Department of Public Health issued a statement advising providers that they can immediately resume the administration of lot 41L20A of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which was temporarily paused last Sunday due to possible allergic reactions in participants at a drive-through site in San Diego County. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup and additional allergy and immunology specialists convened yesterday to examine the evidence collected. They had further discussions with the County of San Diego Department of Public Health, the FDA, CDC and manufacturer, and found no scientific basis to continue the pause. Providers that paused vaccine administration from Moderna Lot 41L20A can immediately resume using this vaccine.

With this decision, more than 18,000 Moderna doses will be freed up and are now available for use at various facilities that had received them in Los Angeles County. These doses do not impact the large-scale County vaccination sites.

Latest Facts and Figures

Jurisdiction - Reported Cases | Reported Deaths

• Hermosa Beach - 781 | 7
• L.A. County - 1,046,021 | 14,641
• California - 3,039,044 | 35,004
• United States - 24,323,846 | 404,689

*All reported data is from the close of the previous day.

Additional Resources

Please continue to follow public health experts’ recommendations to avoid spreading the coronavirus including frequent handwashing, wearing a face covering, keeping a safe distance from one another, and staying home if you are ill. Public Health has issued the following guidance during this time of increased spread: If you are mildly sick, stay home for at least seven days or until 72 hours after being fever free, whichever is longer. Call your doctor if you are concerned and/or your symptoms worsen. Individuals who are elderly, have underlying health conditions or pregnant should consider contacting their providers earlier when they are sick. More information is available here.

We are monitoring updates and sharing information about the coronavirus from trusted sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

This press release was produced by the City of Hermosa Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.