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Dear neighbor,
This week we hit a new milestone, with over 200 million vaccine shots administered within the first 100 days of the Biden Administration. This is great news and a sign that the American Rescue Plan is working. However, COVID-19 is still a serious public health challenge. We must continue to do what we can to keep safe and wash our hands frequently, engage in social distancing, and wear a mask in public.
My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one to this terrible disease. If you have suffered a loss, you may be eligible for the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program. FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20th, 2020. For more information on the program, please visit fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.
Vaccine Distribution in LA County
Adults age 16 and older who live or work in LA County are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If you haven’t done so already, I strongly encourage you to get the vaccine as soon as you are able. Walk-in registration spots are being offered at all County-run mass vaccination sites through Monday, April 26th while supply lasts – no appointment needed.
To book an appointment in Los Angeles County, please go to VaccinateLACounty.com or Coronavirus.LACity.org/VaxAppointment. If you have a disability or do not have access to the internet and need assistance making your vaccination appointment, you can contact the County’s Call Center –– open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. –– at (833) 540-0473. The vaccine is free to all people and immigration status and insurance are not required.
If you are age 16 or 17, you are only eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Please book your vaccination appointment at a site that offers Pfizer. You will be turned away if you go to a site that doesn’t offer Pfizer. In addition, minors must bring a parent or guardian with them to receive the vaccine.
For now, the pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine remains in place out of an abundance of caution. To learn more about the pause, please click here. The LA County Department of Public Health will be holding a virtual town hall to answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, April 27th. Please submit your questions here and watch at 6 p.m. PT on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook at @lapublichealth.
Help is on the Way for Local Communities in California
Throughout COVID-19, local communities have been under unprecedented strain, with many having to lay off educators, firefighters, and other essential workers, or failing to provide the services communities rely on. Fortunately, Help is Here with the American Rescue Plan, which will provide California with $18.5 billion in local fiscal relief to help local communities recover. Specifically, this funding will go toward enabling local governments to continue to support the public health response, address the losses in revenues they’ve experienced as a result of this crisis, provide premium pay for essential workers to avoid layoffs, and more.
Below are estimates of how much each city in California’s 33rd Congressional District will receive through the American Rescue Plan.
Testing
Please visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing, corona-virus.la/covid-19-testing or call 2-1-1 for COVID-19 testing information. You no longer need an appointment to receive a COVID-19 test at testing sites operated by LA County. You can walk in or drive up to any of the 17 County-run testing sites. 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.
Additional Resources
- To view LA County’s new Health Officer Order with detailed information on gatherings and reopenings in the orange tier, please click here.
- To check on the status of your stimulus check, please visit irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.
- Covered California opened a new special enrollment period to allow Californians to benefit from lower health insurance premiums available through the American Rescue Plan. Click here to enroll in health care coverage.
- For CDC guidance on travel for fully vaccinated people, please click here. If you plan to travel, please remember to renew your passport at least 6 months in advance.
- The West LA VA is now offering COVID-19 vaccines to veterans of ALL ages and their spouses or caregivers. Please call the VAGLAHS COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Line at (310) 268-4900 to schedule an appointment.
- Learn about and apply for the Los Angeles COVID-19 Emergency Renters Assistance Program, open through April 30th.
As the American Rescue Plan helps to get money in pockets, people in jobs, shots in arms, and children safely back in schools, relief is in sight. However, please don’t let your guard down in the fight against COVID-19. Please continue to wash your hands frequently, engage in social distancing, and wear a mask in public. I look forward to updating you again soon.
Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Ted W. Lieu
Member of Congress
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