County Supervisors Considering Proposals Requiring Vaccine Certification at Several Indoor Venue Today – Pasadena Now

Showing evidence of vaccination against the coronavirus under a proposal set to undergo preliminary review by the Supervisory Board on Tuesday requires entering some indoor public spaces in the unincorporated area of ​​Los Angeles County. Probably.

Supervisor Janice Hahn drafted a motion. If approved, county staff and lawyers will be required to report within two weeks on what such a policy would look like. For example, whether it applies to all indoor public spaces and events, only to certain non-essential ones, or whether it is necessary. Full or partial immunity.

There is also the question of whether paper or digital records can be used to check a person’s vaccination status.

“Nearly 4 million people in Los Angeles County have not yet been vaccinated, and COVID-19 is better in indoor spaces, crowds, and other environments where unvaccinated people are in close contact. It continues to spread easily, “Hahn wrote in her move.

“We need to consider whether additional measures, such as vaccine requirements in specific settings, are needed to prevent future spikes and circulation of new variants, especially as we approach autumn and winter.”

Hahn’s proposal comes shortly after a similar move under consideration by the Los Angeles City Council. City movements require at least partial vaccination to enter indoor public spaces such as restaurants, gyms, concert halls, cinemas and retail stores.

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases is skyrocketing in both cities and counties, with most infections occurring among unvaccinated residents. The rapid increase in infections over the last two months has been attributed to the highly infectious delta mutants of the virus.

“More tests could increase the number of cases until the infection in the area is significantly reduced,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, last week.

“… Indoor masking and quarantine, case isolation and close contact are effective strategies to reduce infection, but the easiest way to slow the spread is to increase vaccination coverage.”

She said the county has seen an increase in the number of people receiving the first dose of the vaccine for three consecutive weeks, following a decline in months.

The increase in vaccination may be in part due to California’s recent request for vaccination or regular testing of workers in all states. The state also requires all health care workers to be vaccinated.

Some cities, universities and private institutions have also recently required employees and students to receive vaccines or routine tests.

Vaccinated people can get the virus, but Feller said they are much less likely to get seriously ill or need hospitalization.

From May 1st to July 17th, unvaccinated people were about four times more likely to be infected with COVID than vaccinated residents, Feller said. Of the 3,158 people admitted to the county during that period, 8% were completely vaccinated. She also said that some of the COVID inpatients were actually hospitalized for other reasons and only discovered that they were infected during regular hospitalization screening.

Between April 1st and July 18th, 95.2% of people over the age of 16 who died of COVID in the county were unvaccinated, Feller said.

Hahn’s motion points out that New York City has already implemented vaccination obligations to enter certain indoor businesses such as restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms.

According to preliminary data from New York City, mandates were effective in getting more people vaccinated. Approximately 80,000 New Yorkers received their first COVID-19 vaccine last week, according to Hahn’s move. This increased by 40% from the number of residents who received their first injection in the first week of July.

“Vaccines continue to be the most powerful tool in the recovery journey, as fully vaccinated people have a significantly lower risk of serious illness, hospitalization, or death than unvaccinated people. “Masu,” Hahn wrote in a motion.