The Los Angeles Post

As COVID-19 Numbers Improve in LA County, Worksite Safety Measures Can Keep Workers and Customers Safe

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2,314 New Positive Cases and 14 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

While Los Angeles County COVID-19 numbers are continuing to improve, common sense worksite strategies like masking, vaccinations, staying home when sick, and reporting of clusters can keep both employees and customers safe.

As of Aug 22, among non-residential, non-educational worksites, there are 61 active worksite outbreaks. This is a 34% decrease from one month prior when there were 93 outbreaks on July 22.  Nearly half of the currently active outbreaks occurred in two sectors:  16 in retail, and 14 in manufacturing.

As a reminder, employers are required to provide all employees at indoor worksites, where masking is optional, with medical grade masks and respirators for voluntary use.

In order to reduce transmission at worksites, employers are required to report any cluster of worksite COVID-19 cases to the Department of Public Health. A cluster is three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the worksite within a 14-day period. Reports to Public Health should be made as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after reports or knowledge of at least three cases. Worksites can report a cluster to Public Health online or by phone: 1-888-397-3993. If Public Health determines that there is an outbreak at a worksite, employees are required to mask both indoors and, if they can’t be socially distanced, outdoors as well.

Residents or workers who are a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and have no symptoms are not required to quarantine but must wear a highly protective mask around others, monitor their health for 10 days and get tested 3-5 days after they were last exposed. If they test positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days, they don’t need to test unless they get symptoms. If their test result is positive, they must isolate.

Some close contacts must quarantine or be excluded from work if they live or work in select high-risk settings, including emergency shelters and cooling and heating centers; homeless shelters; healthcare settings; long-term care centers; adult and senior care facilities; and local correctional facilities and detention centers.

Some close contacts in other settings may be required to be excluded from work by their employer.

Workers concerned about possible COVID-19 violations or other workplace safety concerns have several options for filing a complaint. To file a complaint with Public Health, which can be submitted anonymously, workers can call the Environmental Health Customer Call Center at (888) 700-9995 or click on the “Report a Problem” at www.ph.lacounty.gov/eh. To file a complaint with Cal/OSHA about employee safety, workplace safety, or hazardous conditions, workers can call (833) 579-0927 or email the local Cal/OSHA Enforcement Office that serves the location of the job site.

For a complete list of required and recommended business and employer requirements see: ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDBusiness

A mobile vaccination team can be booked by employers, organizations and those hosting special events. These mobile units offer vaccines and boosters to employees and customers and can be arranged by completing a mobile vaccine interest form at https://tinyurl.com/y8w4cvhz .

There are thousands of vaccination locations to get vaccinated at across the county. Residents can visit the Public Health website at VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to learn about locations, and schedules for clinics offering COVID-19 vaccines. Information is also available at the COVID-19 call center, 1-833-540-0473 between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:30 pm, seven days a week.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “It is encouraging to see LA County reporting a steady decline in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. To continue this trend in the fall, we must continue to take steps to protect our communities and workplaces.  We know what works – masking, testing, and vaccination, along with other effective safety measures during infections and outbreaks. If all our employers, workers, and customers follow safety protocols, we can limit the number of outbreaks at our job sites and continue to reduce COVID transmission.”

Today, Public Health reported 14 additional deaths and 2,314 new positive cases. Of the 14 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 50-64, three people were between the ages of 65-79, and seven people were aged 80 years or older. For information on the two deaths reported by the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Of the 14 newly reported deaths, 11 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 33,041.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,386,161 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 9.6%.

There are 915 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,436,625 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

For more information:

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,386,161

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

3,202,791

— Long Beach

148,215

— Pasadena

35,155

Deaths

33,041

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

31,303

— Long Beach

1,315

— Pasadena

423

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

101070

– 5 to 11

271225

– 12 to 17

265163

– 18 to 29

702308

– 30 to 49

1030916

– 50 to 64

540731

– 65 to 79

218207

–  over 80

70926

–  Under Investigation

2245

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

1642172

–  Male

1474222

–  Other

1490

–  Under Investigation

84907

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

6015

–  Asian

225342

–  Black

163178

–  Hispanic/Latino

1391445

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

16309

–  White

432196

–  Other

363768

–  Under Investigation

604538

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

151,015

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

73

–  Asian

3955

–  Black

2918

–  Hispanic/Latino

15861

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

112

–  White

7946

–  Other

344

–  Under Investigation

94