Covid in Los Angeles 1/25/21
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/data/index.htm#
Our positivity rates are going down; hospitalizations are going down and deaths are going down. They are widely disparate; Latinos and poor neighborhoods are being hit at three or four times the rates of the more affluent. The rates peaked between New Years and January 10 before heading down, but they are still very high.
The Governor is relaxing the statewide stay at home orders today, meaning restaurants and hair salons and other venues can reopen. https://thehill.com/changing-america/resilience/smart-cities/535659-in-huge-step-california-governor-will-lift-stay-at Each County can make their own decisions. I think it is likely that LA will stay closed for a while longer.
It looks as if California is being hit with mutations of the virus that may be more easily transmitted. https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/medical-advances/535679-a-homegrown-coronavirus-strain-in-california-may LA is the epicenter because of our overcrowded homes and living conditions. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/us/los-angeles-crowded-covid.html
We have been too slow in our vaccine rollouts here. https://sfist.com/2021/01/23/california-is-now-the-worst-state-in-the-country-when-it-comes-to-giving-out-covid-19-vaccines/ That is picking up as more mega-sites are opening for vaccines, and appointment criteria have been thrown open to all over the age of 65. https://www.dailynews.com/2021/01/19/5-vaccination-mega-centers-open-in-l-a-county-today-but-are-there-enough-doses-to-stock-them/ The limiting factor is supply. Many of the more successful states are less densely populated and rural like West Virginia, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota and Maine, and small states like Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut. There are big differences by ethnicity in their willingness to be vaccinated for Covid. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/04/943213216/survey-finds-asian-americans-are-racial-or-ethnic-group-most-willing-to-get-vacc Older Americans are far more willing to be vaccinated than the younger age cohorts, and Democrats more willing to be vaccinated than Republicans. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/12/03/intent-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-rises-to-60-as-confidence-in-research-and-development-process-increases/
The inclination is to blame the Governor, who has been pretty consistent in warning of the dangers of the virus. However the reality is that we also need to both blame and credit ourselves for the spread. For the most part, we kept our initial rates low by mask wearing and social distancing and compliance with state and local public health orders; however the big Covid spikes in California were associated with get-togethers of families and friends around the holidays and Covid fatigue. https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/01/25/california-coronavirus-updates-january-2021/
Stay well.
Lucien
1/25/21
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