Dear neighbor, 

The United States is seeing a decline in new COVID-19 cases, which is promising news. In California, over the last seven days, the state has averaged 7,902 cases per day, a 46.6% decrease from two weeks ago. Although these trends are encouraging, we must keep up the hard work in the fight against COVID-19. Please continue to wash your hands frequently; engage in physical distancing; and wear a mask in public. 

Earlier this month, I led a letter to President Biden, with 14 Members of the California delegation, in support of the state’s request for additional federal aid to help treat COVID-19 patients in California. Additional federal medical personnel and materials from the DOD, FEMA, and HHS would help save lives, alleviate the challenges our state health system is facing, and get us closer to vaccinating the population.

Additionally, Congress is working to pass the American Rescue Plan to beat the virus, safely reopen schools, and provide much-needed relief to businesses and families. The Committees of Jurisdiction have marked up the plan, and have an expeditious timetable for its passage. As soon as we pass the landmark coronavirus relief legislation, we will send it to the Senate for further action, to be signed by the President before unemployment benefits expire.

Please consider responding to the question below. 

VACCINE UPDATES

Los Angeles County is still currently vaccinating health care workers, staff and residents at skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, and residents 65 and older. On March 1st, Los Angeles County will begin vaccinating workers in education/childcare, food/agriculture and emergency services. County officials are working with schools, businesses, healthcare providers and more to set up sector-specific sites.

If you are eligible to receive the vaccine, please go to VaccinateLACounty.com to book an appointment. If you already received your first shot, please click here for information on how to receive your second dose. Residents without internet access can call (833) 540-0473 for assistance. Due to a low vaccine supply, many sites are only administering second doses.

There continues to be a scarcity in vaccine supply and variability in the amount of vaccine the county receives each week. Once LA County begins to receive more vaccine, it will continue to facilitate vaccinations for as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

STATE AND LOCAL COVID-19 UPDATES 

From the State 

California has now administered over 6.9 million vaccines and is averaging over a million shots per week. In addition, the State Health Director, Dr. Mark Ghaly, announced that starting March 15th, health care providers can start administering the vaccine to people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are severely disabled and/or have health conditions that put them at increased risk. Although we are making great progress on vaccine distribution, the state is still not receiving enough COVID-19 vaccine supply to meet the demand, which is why we must pass the American Rescue Plan to invest in a national vaccination program that will address the shortages we’re currently facing.

As Californians continue to face hardship from the pandemic, Governor Newsom announced immediate actions to provide much-needed relief to individuals, businesses and families. The relief items include $600 stimulus checks, $2 billion in grants for small businesses, $100 million in emergency student aid, and more. 

From LA County 

LA County’s COVID-19 adjusted case rate has remained under 25 new cases per 100,000 people for five consecutive days, meeting the state’s requirement for reopening schools for on-site learning in grades TK-6. Proper safety protocols, including masking and social distancing, must be in place. For more information, please visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus.

TESTING

All LA County residents who would like to get tested for COVID-19 should first contact their Primary Care Provider to see if they offer tests. If you cannot access a test through your health care provider, please visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing or corona-virus.la/covid-19-testing to sign up for a no-cost COVID-19 test. Testing is recommended for those who:

• Have symptoms related to COVID-19.
• Were asked to get tested by LA Public Health because of a contact tracing investigation.
• Were in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks.
• Work or live in a skilled nursing facility; group home; residential care facility; homeless shelter; or correctional facility.
• Are experiencing homelessness.
• Are essential workers with frequent contact with the public.
• Don’t have symptoms but believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19. 

If you live in the City of LA and are unable to drive to a testing site, you can receive a free COVID-19 test at a mobile pop-up location (no appointment necessary). Please click here to view current and upcoming pop-up testing sites.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Covered California is currently holding a special enrollment period where eligible and uninsured Californians can sign up for a health care plan that works for them. To get started, please go to www.coveredca.com.
• For updated data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in California and LA County, please go to update.covid19.ca.gov and publichealth.lacounty.gov.
• Sign up to get notified when it’s your turn to receive the vaccine. 
• CDC’s guidance for coping with stress and anxiety during a pandemic.
• If you need someone to talk to, please call the LA County Department of Mental Health hotline at (800) 854-7771 or text “LA” to 741741.
• Opt-in to receive notifications if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
• If you are in need of food assistance; housing relief; information about COVID-19; and more, please call 2-1-1 or visit 211la.org.
• Veterans who are enrolled in and eligible for VA health care can receive personalized vaccine information here.
• Get your flu shot to stay healthy this season.
• Learn about vaccine misinformation and how to avoid vaccine scams.
• How COVID-19 vaccines work (CDC).

My team and I will continue to provide you with information from state and local officials regarding the vaccine. For more information on vaccine distribution and COVID-19, please visit covid19.ca.gov and covid19.lacounty.gov. You can also visit my coronavirus webpage and follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I look forward to updating you again soon.

Stay safe. 

Sincerely, 

Ted W. Lieu 
Member of Congress