Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, April 05, 2022
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
COVID-19 UPDATE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
As of the preparation of this report on March 29, 2022, Los Angeles County Public Health Department has reported 25,377 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the City of Carson, with 2,831,665 cases within Los Angeles County (which includes cases reported by the Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). This underreports the actual spread of the virus since those who do not display symptoms or are otherwise mildly impacted may have not been tested and therefore not counted among the reported cases.
On January 25, 2022, Governor Newsom, Senate President, and Assembly Speaker announced that they reached an agreement on a framework to ensure employees can have extended access to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. This sick leave will be available through September 30, 2022 for businesses with more than 26 employees and can cover up to 2 weeks of leave with documentation.
On February 16th, 2022 the California Department of Public Health lifted the indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals statewide. However, Los Angeles County’s indoor mask mandate remained in place. LA County Department of Public Health (LADPH) indicated that the indoor mask mandate may be lifted by mid-March if COVID-19 metrics continue to their downward trend and transmission rate falls to “moderate” level. Though the LA County outdoor mask mandate was lifted for “mega events” and outdoor activities.
On February 22, 2022, LA Unified School District lifted their outdoor mask mandate for students and staff. Additionally, on February 22, 2022, Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that LADPH will issue an updated Health Order this week which will allow fully vaccinated individuals to remove their masks at some indoor settings where there is vaccination verification.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. RECEIVE and FILE.
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
As of the date of this report, Los Angeles County has reported that 18,130,179 total vaccine doses have been administered with 8,071,555 individuals fully vaccinated. As of the date of this report, 85.8% of Carson residents 5 years of age and over have received at least one vaccine dose.
Vaccine Distribution Sites in Carson
Effective immediately, City employees as well as the public can obtain a PCR/Rapid test at the Carson Sheriff Station administered by Northshore Clinical Labs of California located at 21356 S Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA from 9 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday and from 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays and Sundays.
Homebound seniors can also request a mobile vaccination appointment through Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Appointments can be made by calling 833-540-0473 or via the link that can be found at
www.carsonca.gov/vaccine <http://www.carsonca.gov/vaccine>
Small Business Programs
The City of Carson, in partnership with the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA), launched the Carson Small Business Coronavirus Business Assistance Program to provide support for small business impacted by the COVID-19 virus and associated restrictions. The program has provided technical assistance to businesses seeking Emergency Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans (now ended), other loan programs as well as general business assistance in managing this crisis. To date, more $6,300,000.00 in Federal Loans have been received by Carson businesses with assistance from the City. Businesses in Carson were also eligible for emergency loans of up to $30,000 from the City of Carson’s own Loan Program funded by the City with a total of $650,000, with all funds now being fully disbursed to borrowers.
City Rental Assistance Program
The City of Carson has created a one-time Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) for individuals and families renting in Carson and financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City has approved 54 grant recipients and awarded $284,171 out of $335,932 budgeted.
The financial assistance is available for up to a maximum of $10,000 per qualified households, is based on actual need for monthly rent payment and does not have to be repaid.
For more information on the ERA program please visit: <http://ci.carson.ca.us/CommunityDevelopment/housing_cdbg.aspx> or call (310) 233-4829.
Los Angeles County residents can also apply for the state-wide rental relief program which the County of Los Angeles is a participant. Residents may apply at housing.ca.gov or call 833-320-2122.
City Hall
Effective Monday, January 10, 2022, City Hall opened to the public by appointment only Monday through Thursday from 7 am to 6 pm. The City will require all In-person meetings to discontinue and the public to utilize online and telephonic services.
City Events
At the turn of the New Year, City events will continue to follow all Health & Safety protocols as pronounced through the Los Angeles County Public Health Department.
Parks
All recreation centers closed effective Monday, January 10, 2022 until further notice. All programs will be conducted outdoors or postponed based on County guidelines.
Recreation Programs
Youth Sports began with t-ball, baseball, and softball. The next youth sports seasons were flag football, soccer and softball with the season beginning October 2 through December 4, 2021. Youth Basketball league began registration on December 4.
Kids Club/Licensed Childcare Programs
The following table summarizes the number of Kids Club participants:
Week of April 4, 2022 - April 7, 2022
|
PARK |
ALL DAY |
AFTERNOON |
TOTAL |
|
Calas |
20 |
0 |
20 |
|
Carson |
17 |
0 |
17 |
|
Del Amo |
13 |
0 |
13 |
|
Dolphin |
15 |
0 |
15 |
|
Veterans |
28 |
0 |
28 |
Carson and Los Angeles County Cases per 100K
Vaccine Education
The City has a website at www.carsonca.gov/vaccine <http://www.carsonca.gov/vaccine> to inform residents about vaccines, vaccine site locations, education webinars by various entities and recorded videos of previous vaccine-related town halls.
Individuals who are apprehensive of potential side effects, have a history of allergies or are hesitant for any reason should consult with their physicians regarding any concerns.
Vaccines with Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) and FDA Approval
Vaccines are not fully effective until two weeks after the second dose for Pfizer and Moderna and 2 weeks after one dose for Johnson & Johnson.
Moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals ages 5+ should receive a primary series of 3 doses of Pfizer, ages 12+ should also receive 1 booster at least 3 months after the third dose. Similarly, moderately or severely immunocompromised Moderna recipients ages 18+ should also receive 3 doses for a primary series and 1 booster after 3 months. In summary, immunocompromised individuals should receive 3 doses of mRNA vaccines to be fully vaccinated and those eligible should receive 1 booster for a total of 4 doses.
|
Pfizer-BioNTech |
Two dose series separated by 21 days. Indicated ages of 5 to 15 under EUA; 16 and up have full approval. Boosters after 5 months of original series are approved for 12 and up. Immunocompromised individuals 5 and up should receive an additional dose as part of their primary series, 28 days after 2nd shot. |
|
Moderna |
Two dose series separated by 28 days. Indicated ages of 18 years and up. Immunocompromised individuals 18 and up should receive an additional dose as part of their primary series, 28 days after 2nd shot. |
|
Johnson & Johnson |
One dose. Indicated ages of 18 years and up. Moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals should receive 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson, followed by 1 mRNA vaccine dose. |
On January 3rd, 2022, the FDA increased eligibility for 3rd dose boosters for recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for all individuals 12 and up. On January 4th, 2022, the CDC changed their booster timeline recommendation from 6 months after the primary series to 5 months after primary series.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
Staff costs are being incurred by the City for the coordination, surveillance, communication and management of the COVID-19 local emergency, as well as costs for procuring related services and supplies. City costs are either being covered by existing department appropriations or new appropriations from the General Fund. 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: David C. Roberts, Jr., City Manager