Mask mandates in Los Angeles County are likely to continue until next year, according to Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, spoke at a Thursday, Nov. 4, hearing about the region’s fight against a potential coronavirus surge this holiday season.
The county received its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines for kids 5-11 this week, and officials gathered at a local park in East Los Angeles in the afternoon Wednesday to mark the beginning of the vaccination effort for young children.
Clinics were once again operational Thursday throughout the region, which is witnessing a steady plateau of hospitalizations — however, cases could be rising, Ferrer said during the media conference.
There were only 12 new COVID-related deaths in Los Angeles County Thursday, according to Ferrer, lower than peak levels during surges. But cooler weather has arrived, she warned.
“And with it (the cold weather), comes conditions that favor COVID transmission as we gather inside to stay warm and for celebrations and gatherings,” she said, describing vaccinations as the most powerful tool for reducing spread of the virus along with masking indoors and in crowded, outdoor venues.
Both cases and hospitalization rates in the county have remained flat among vaccinated residents but they’re now ticking up among the unvaccinated, Ferrer said.
“The differences between these groups remain stark with unvaccinated people seven times more likely to get infected and 27 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people,” according to Ferrer. This is dangerous because when community transmission is high, “we can expect that more vaccinated people will also develop infections — although always at a much lower rate than unvaccinated people,” she said.
No matter, it’s always troubling to continue to see a slight uptick in cases and no decline in hospitalizations, according to Ferrer.
“This is because unvaccinated people create risk for everyone,” she said, adding, “This is why it remains important for us to reach out to people who have not yet been vaccinated and offer them whatever path to vaccination might work for them; very often that means calling people in rather than calling them out.”
It’s too soon to say that the county is experiencing a fifth wave or surge yet, according to Ferrer. “I think, again, we’ve got to do what we know works — get more people vaccinated, wear our masks when we’re indoors, because, again, that’s a powerful way to prevent some transmission from happening.”
The death rate among vaccinated people remains nearly flat as it has for many months, “while deaths among unvaccinated people remain persistently elevated and is now ticking upward,” Ferrer said. “By October 16, the risk of death was 41 times higher among unvaccinated people than amongst those who had been vaccinated.”
Ferrer reiterated there is a network of nearly 900 providers countywide will be offering vaccines, ages of five and 11 and many of these providers already have received vaccines and began vaccinating. There are also hundreds of mobile vaccination teams out in the community every week still persisting in their efforts meet residents where they live and work to increase vaccination rates.
“Many parents have requested that we offer vaccines to children and teens at schools because these are familiar and trusted places,” Ferrer said. So over the course of the month of November, there will be 480 school-based events where children will be offered vaccines. “And this will obviously focus on schools in our highest-need areas,” Ferrer said.
Adults are also encouraged to find a clinic to get vaccinated because the recent health officer order requiring proof of full vaccination and photo ID for indoor entry into bars, breweries, wineries, distilleries, nightclubs and lounges for all patrons and employees is now in effect in the county.
“Preliminary compliance findings for the weekend of October 23 and 24 found that 90% of bars and 100% of nightclubs and lounges visited were in full compliance,” Ferrer said, noting next week the country will require all visitors present proof of vaccination when heading to indoor portions of restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, wineries, bars, gyms, spas, salons, barbershops, movie theaters, shopping malls, and entertainment and recreation venues.
The regulation recommends, but does not require, vaccine verification for employees and customers of indoor portions of restaurants.
The county mandate was phased in beginning in early October, when workers and patrons at such adult-oriented businesses were required to show proof of at least one dose of COVID vaccine. But starting Thursday, everyone was required to have proof of full vaccination and present a photo ID.
Beginning Monday, an even more expansive vaccination-verification ordinance will take effect in the city of Los Angeles. That ordinance will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for entry to indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, shopping centers, entertainment venues and personal care establishments within the city. The ordinance does not include grocery stores or pharmacies.
The city ordinance is believed to be the strictest law of its kind in the country, however, questions still remain on how the city plans to enforce the requirement. City officials have suggested the Department of Building and Safety is the most logical enforcement agency, however, that department lacks the personnel to conduct such enforcement.
City News Service contributed to this report