Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, February 07, 2023
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
COVID-19 UPDATE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
COVID-19 Positive Case Information by the Numbers
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health COVID-19 case data as of 1/26/2023 listed below.
• New Cases: 1,095*
• Total Cases Reported: 3,672,125*
• 7-Day Daily Average Positivity Rate: 4.70%
• Carson Total Confirmed Cases: 34,219
*includes cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Public Health Departments
On January 18, 2023, the Disaster Council directed staff to resume mandatory COVID-19 testing for employees. The primary goals are to protect employees and the public’s health and to create a safe environment to work, as well as continue the City’s mission of providing vital services to its residents. Ultimately, the program aims to keep Carson’s infection rate low by identifying infected persons early and avoid further spread of the disease. At that meeting, the Disaster Council reaffirmed the City’s masking and social distancing mandates for employees and participants in City programs.
Additional COVID-19 testing information can be found at <https://dhs.lacounty.gov/covid-19/testing/>.
County/City of Carson Vaccination Status
As of the date of this report, 84.2% of Carson residents 6+ months of age and over have received at least one vaccine dose.
Additional COVID-19 vaccine information can be found at <https://carsonca.gov/vaccine/>.
City of Carson specific updates:
• The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect many city employees. Employees who were unable to work due to being ill with the virus or for being contact traced were provided leave benefits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA); Supplemental Paid Sick Leave of 2021 (SPSL) and Supplemental Paid Sick Leave of 2022 (SPSL22).
o Number of employees who tested positive since start of Pandemic: 383
o Number of employees who tested positive since January 1, 2022: 246
o Number of FFCRA, SPSL and SPSL22 benefit recipients: 344
• Please note: California’s 2022 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL 22) ended on 12/31/22.
• Masks continue to be required by all city employees and participants in city recreational and educational programs and camps.
Public Health updates:
• Public Health officials are asking for the community’s help in reducing the chances of another post-holiday surge and limiting the spread of new COVID-19 strains that could gain dominance in Los Angeles County. An increase in infection rates would disproportionately affect people over 50 and people with preexisting medical conditions or who are immunocompromised. All three groups are at higher risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19.
• Los Angeles County currently remains in the Medium Community Level, based on its case and hospitalization rates. As people return to school and work after the winter holiday, they may unintentionally expose others to the disease, increasing outbreaks. It can take up to 10 days for a person who has COVID-19 to test positive or display symptoms of infection.
Mpox Information:
In alignment with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health transitioned to using "mpox" when referring to monkeypox disease in all documents and public facing communications. Starting with this report, the City will use the more inclusive Mpox term when referring to the disease.
As of January 25, there were 30,093 reported cases and 26 deaths in the U.S., 2,434 cases and 2 confirmed deaths in LA County. In response to the increasing numbers, LA County Public Health has made vaccination available to certain high-risk groups. To date, 74,940 first dose vaccines have been administered within the County.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. RECEIVE and FILE.
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a novel coronavirus. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person-to-person. Some people without symptoms may spread the virus. The virus spreads mainly from person-to-person between people in proximity with one another (within about 6 feet) by aspiration of respiratory droplets by an infected person.
On January 18 the Disaster Council held a meeting in response to a workplace COVID-19 outbreak. At that meeting staff were directed to resume mandatory testing for all employees. Subsequently, staff solicited bids from several providers, identified the lowest responsive bid, and are now working to draft a contract agreement to begin quarterly testing for City employees. The contract and a budget resolution will be presented for City Council consideration at the February 21 meeting.
In August 2022, both State of California and County of Los Angeles declared states of emergency due to the growing number of mpox cases. Mpox is a rare disease caused by a virus not commonly seen in the United States. Infections in the U.S. are usually associated with travel to West or Central Africa or contact with imported infected animals. Mpox can also spread when a person has close contact with a person infected with mpox virus or when a person comes in contact with materials that are contaminated with the virus.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The Disaster Council has approved costs relating to the COVID-19 Surveillance Testing program up to $100,000. All costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic are being tracked separately by staff who will continue to pursue all available reimbursements for eligible City costs incurred from FEMA or other sources.
VI. EXHIBITS
N/A
Prepared by: Nora Garcia, Emergency Services Manager, and Roobik Galoosian, Risk Manager