County public health officials say more than half of the available vaccines now go to the hardest-hit areas.
A change in level thresholds means it could lead to a faster step to a less restrictive level.
Initially, the county was expected to advance to the “red” level by the end of this month, and the rate of new COVID-19 daily infections is expected to fall below the mandatory 7-case-per-100,000 threshold on Tuesday. . If the county maintained that level for two weeks, it would go from the “purple” level to the “red” level.
The state, however, changed the thresholds to move through the four-tier plan for a safer economy last week, given the volume of vaccines being administered to lower-income communities across the country. state.
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The new thresholds could come into force as early as this week, when the state achieves the goal of administering 2 million doses of vaccine in those affected neighborhoods.
When that happens, advancing to the “red” level will require a county to have a new case rate per 10,000 population, a rate that LA County will already have met within the required two weeks. Ferrer said that means the county will likely advance to “red” by the middle of next week.
“If the percentage of adjusted cases this week remains below the 10 new cases per 100,000 people, we understand that within 48 hours of the state announcing the vaccine trigger being met, the county of Los Angeles, along with other counties with qualified case rates, would move to the red level, “LA County Public Health said in a statement. “We will work with the Board of Supervisors and our industry partners to prepare appropriate amendments to the Order of Health Officer that reflect the county’s move to the red level.”
Going from the restrictive “purple” level to the “red” level will allow the county to increase capacity limits to retail establishments and reopen indoor dining halls, gyms and movie theaters. However, the county is not bound by state guidelines and could continue to impose stricter rules.
For example, while the county currently allows outdoor dining in the “purple” category, it still prohibits restaurants from turning on televisions in their backyards, as a way to avoid sports fan gatherings. The state does not have this restriction on restaurants.
Meanwhile, vaccination efforts in Los Angeles County continue to grow.
A mass vaccination site opened at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds on Monday. Officials say it can handle up to 2,000 shots a day.
“This region has been severely affected. It’s geographically isolated, transportation is an issue,” LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said.
“We are looking widely across the region for shares in the Antelope Valley,” he added.
As the number of people vaccinated continues to grow across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facilitated some of their COVID-19 safety protocols.
Fully vaccinated Americans can reunite with other vaccinated people inside without wearing a mask or physically distancing themselves, the CDC announced Monday.
The recommendations also say that vaccinated people can meet in the same way, in a single home, with people considered at low risk of serious illness, as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren.
City News Service and Associated Press contributed to this report.
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