Good morning, LA It’s February 12th.
As local cases of coronavirus and deaths start to decrease, many residents’ focus shifts from testing to vaccination.
We have reported on the myriad barriers to vaccination, from unfair distribution on confusion about the second dose on insufficient supply. Now there is another problem that arises: communication failures from top to bottom about who is eligible to make the recordings.
My colleague Jackie Fortiér, which has carefully considered the pandemic and health, reports that although they are considered health workers – the first group to be eligible for the vaccine – parents and carers of the disabled is not granted continuous access to vaccination.
“The world’s culture for vaccine vaccination is currently in the Wild West,” said Andy Imparato, executive director of California Disability Rights.
The confusion is partly caused by the number of health departments in California, most of whom make their own decisions about vaccine deployment. LA County only the three; the province’s own, another in Pasadena, and a third in Long Beach.
Another contributing factor is poor training; Several families with whom Jackie spoke reported that they had turned away workers who did not believe they were eligible at the vaccination sites, or accused them of bringing false documentation.
And the unrest is exacerbated by the long, confusing and sometimes overlapping lists of who qualifies as a health worker.
LA County Public Health Department contains 38 jobs and employers which qualifies a person as a healthcare worker. California describes the healthcare sector as ‘large, diverse and open, spanning both the public and private sectors’, containing 22 types of workers, many of which are further divided into dozens of specific job titles.
And the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is more concerned about jobs definition of health workers as ‘all paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare institutions and having the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials’, followed by a long list of qualifying factors.
In other words, it will be difficult for someone to analyze the lists and understand who can get the vaccine and who cannot. In the absence of explanatory instructions from state and local governments, it may take a while before everyone is on the same page.
Read on for more information on what’s happening in LA today, and stay safe out there.
What else do you need to know today
- State legislators introduced legislation it will increase California’s bill for children’s school lunches, instead of giving their families a balance because they can not pay.
- Britney Spears’ father is no longer her only conservator, after a long fight in court.
- Public Defenders is weigh the benefits and risks to work in the courts.
- As part of us Black in LA series, rewrite LAist’s contribution LA as a city of contradictions, which embraces diversity but still struggles with – and even perpetuates – racism.
- The Sheriff’s Dept. built a helicopter farm on land next to Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s house and draws the wrath of SoCalGas.
- Here’s what to do if you do not receive an email about your second dose, or if you are turned away when you show up for it.
- The karate sensei who practices one of Cobra Kaiare actors talks about martial arts in the San Fernando Valley, working with Netflix, and real-time inter-dojo feuds.
- A pair of bald eagles in Big Bear welcomes their fourth egg after losing three in January.
- The pandemic has made home cooks improve their game, and now it’s so change the way LA eats.
- Celebrate the Year of the Ox this weekend, drink martinis with Nick and Nora, look at some options for poon choi and heart-shaped pizzas, and more.
Weekend reading
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and it’s hard enough to keep up with our daily lives, let alone keep up with the news. But if you have time for the weekend, you can miss it:
Diane Edith Watson, 87, was the first African-American woman elected to the LAUSD board, and she served in state and local politics for decades. (LA Sentinel)
Community trusts could be the future of affordable housing in LA (LAist)
Activists are concerned that Latina / o immigrants who do not have the necessary technology, transport or experience in the local bureaucracy face major challenges before accessing the vaccine. (San Fernando Sun)
A mobile vaccination clinic was rolled out for senior citizens living in South Los Angeles. (LA Watts Times)
Have an extra $ 3 million? This desert town can be yours. (LAist)
This underground fighting club wins respect among LA’s best. (LA Taco)
The Church of Epiphany in Lincoln Heights was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its role in the 1960s Chicano movement. (The Eastsider)
A new small home community in North Hollywood provides shelter for Angelenos who are homeless. (LAist)
97-year-old Ruth Zamora, who lived all her life in the city of San Fernando, was one of the first people to be vaccinated in the area. (San Fernando Sun)
Before you go … Want to talk about Friends?
We’re starting a new series! If, like so many of us, you have hampered nostalgic television shows, join us to talk about it at the TV Pilot Club.
In our first meeting, hosted by LAist Arts and Entertainment Reporter Mike Roe, we discuss and tackle the premiere episode of Friends – what lasts, and what really, really not. Join us for “The One Where It Began” on Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. PST. for an interactive conversation.
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