CALIFORNIA: LAFD COVID Infection Rate Drops With Vaccinations The number of Los Angeles firefighters testing positive for the coronavirus has dropped significantly since the city fire agency began offering its members vaccinations, Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said in a late-January memo to firefighters. Terrazas said the LAFD has seen a “sharp decline” in cases since firefighters started getting the shots on Dec. 28. A chart included with the memo shows the LAFD was averaging more than 15 new cases per day before the vaccination program. The number soon plummeted. By the end of January, the department averaged fewer than five new cases per day.