County public health officials say more than half of the available vaccines are now going to the worst affected areas.
A change in the level thresholds means that this can lead to a faster transition to a less restrictive tier.
The county was initially expected to advance to the “red” low later this month, with the number of new daily COVID-19 infections expected to fall below the state-imposed threshold of 7 cases per 100,000 residents as early as Tuesday. If the province maintained that level for two weeks, it would go from the “purple” level to the “red” level.
However, last week the state changed the barriers to progress through the four-tiered blueprint for a safer economy, taking into account the volume of vaccines administered in hard-hit low-income communities across the state.
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The new thresholds could go into effect as early as this week, when the state hits the milestone of administering 2 million doses of vaccine in those hard-hit neighborhoods.
If that happens, to transition to the “red” tier, a county must have a new number of cases of 10 per 100,000 residents – a rate that LA County will have already met for the required two weeks. Ferrer said this means the county will likely go to “red” by mid-next week.
If this week’s adjusted number of cases remains below 10 new cases per 100,000 people, our understanding is that within 48 hours of the state’s announcement that the vaccination trigger was reached, Los Angeles County, along with other counties with eligible cases, would move to the red layer, “LA County Public Health said in a statement.” We will work with the Board of Regulators and our industry partners to prepare appropriate changes to the health officer’s decision to move from the county to the red. level. “
Moving from the restrictive “purple” level to the “red” level empowers the county to increase capacity limits at stores and reopen indoor restaurants, fitness centers and movie theaters. However, the province is not bound by state guidelines and could continue to impose stricter rules.
For example, while the county currently allows alfresco dining in the “purple” tier, it still prohibits restaurants from turning on televisions on their patios, as a way of preventing sports enthusiasts’ gatherings. The state has no such restriction on restaurants.
Meanwhile, vaccination efforts in LA County continue to grow.
A mass vaccination site at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds is open Monday. Officials say it can deliver as many as 2,000 shots a day.
“This region has been badly affected. It is geographically isolated, transportation is a problem,” said Kathryn Barger, LA County supervisor.
“We’re looking across the board across the region to get more stock in the Antelope Valley,” she added.
As the number of people vaccinated continues to grow across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed some of their COVID-19 safety protocols.
Fully vaccinated Americans can get together with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or taking physical distance, the CDC announced Monday.
The recommendations also state that vaccinated people can get together in the same way – in one household – with people at low risk of serious illness, as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren.
City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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