The instructions upon getting a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine are clear: People should get the second shot three or four weeks later.
But things get a lot murkier when it comes to actually getting an appointment to meet that deadline.
As more Los Angeles County residents than ever receive their first doses, tightening vaccine supplies and online scheduling problems are hampering their ability to finish the two-dose vaccination process.
On Thursday, potentially thousands of people had their vaccine appointments postponed after the Ralphs supermarket chain a large vaccine distributor said the county’s Department of Public Health, at the request of state officials, had “recovered” 10,000 doses previously intended for scheduled appointments, according to emails obtained by The Times. A Ralphs spokesperson said only first-dose customers were affected, but it only added to the confusion.
The COVID-19 death toll among Los Angeles County Latinos is reaching frightening levels that the county’s top health officials have called “frankly horrifying,” prompting new calls for the government to do more to help essential workers and people living in dense, overcrowded conditions.
The illness has long hit Latinos in disproportionate ways. Poor Latino neighborhoods are highly susceptible to the spread of the coronavirus because of dense housing, crowded living conditions and a higher proportion of essential workers who are unable to work from home. Officials think people get sick on the job and then spread the virus to family members at home.
By City News Service
Jan 30, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - After a two-month shutdown due to surging COVID-19 cases, patio dining returned to Los Angeles County today but with a new restriction forcing restaurants to turn off or remove all televisions from customer seating areas a clear effort to prevent gatherings of sports fans.
The county s revised Health Officer Order also reinstates previous restrictions on outdoor dining, requiring servers to wear masks and face shields, limiting restaurants to 50% of patio capacity, limiting tables to no more than six people and requiring tables to be at least eight feet apart.
But the order also states: “Televisions or any other screens that are used to broadcast programming must be removed from the area or turned off. This provision is effective until further notice.
For the first time in more than two months, cooped-up Angelenos can now grab a bite to eat at one of the region’s restaurants and stay awhile to savor it.
Los Angeles County officially lifted its ban on outdoor dining Friday, removing the proverbial padlock from restaurant patios following a lengthy public health closure.
The move represents not just a desperately needed boost for the county’s hospitality industry which has been pummeled for months by closures and restrictions meant to thwart transmission of the coronavirus but the relaxation of what proved to be one of the more controversial rules the county has put in place throughout the course of the pandemic.
Ensure adequate ventilation in all spaces.
Physically distance to the maximum extent possible.
Require use of face coverings by workers (where respiratory protection is not required) and customers/clients.
Require frequent handwashing and regular cleaning and disinfection.
Train workers on these and other elements of the COVID-19 prevention plan, appropriate processes to identify new cases of illness in workplaces and, when they are identified, to intervene quickly and work with public health authorities to halt the spread of the virus.
Limit the number of patrons at a single table to a household unit or patrons who have asked to be seated together. People in the same party seated at the same table do not have to be six feet apart. All members of the party must be present before seating and hosts must bring the entire party to the table at one time.