By Mary O’KEEFE

Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Heath, announced that Los Angeles County has “crossed the threshold [into] the red tier” with the County’s COVID-19 positivity rate at 2.5%, reported on March 10.

This means the County can open more businesses and even begin opening schools for grades seven through 12. Public Health is working with the LA County Board of Supervisors to plan additional re-openings.

“According to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, Los Angeles County has begun to meet the metric thresholds for the red tier that allows for additional re-openings, including on-site learning for grades seven through 12. In order to move into the less restrictive red tier, LA County’s daily case rate must be at or below seven new cases per 100,000 people and the County’s test positivity rate must be at or below 8% for two consecutive weeks. LA County’s adjusted case rate dropped from 7.2 new cases per 100,000 people to 5.2 new cases per 100,000 people. The test positivity rate dropped from 3.5% to 2.5%. Should the cases and test positivity rates remain at or below the red tier metrics next week, the County would move to the red tier on March 17,” according to a statement by the Dept. of Public Health.

The Dept. of Public Health also announced that starting on Wednesday custodians/janitors, public transit workers and airport ground crew members would be added to the list of people who qualify to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

On March 15, the County will go into Phase 1C, opening up vaccine eligibility to people ages 16 through 64 who have underlying health conditions or disabilities that put them at the highest risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19. These conditions include:

• Cancer, with a current weakened immune system

• Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above

• Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent

• Down syndrome

• Solid organ transplant, leading to a weakened immune system

• Pregnancy

• Sickle cell disease

• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension)

• Severe obesity with a BMI of more than 40

• Type 2 diabetes with A1c level greater than 7.5%
or having a disability that: makes serious illness from COVID-19 likely; would, if positive for COVID-19, limit the person’s ability to receive care vital to their well-being and survival; or would make the treatment for COVID-19 particularly challenging.

COVID-19 numbers, updated on March 9:

City                                        Positive Cases Total                     Deaths-Total

Burbank                                          8501                                           218

Glendale                                          9263                                           565

La Cañada Flintridge                       719                                             16

Eagle Rock                                      3586                                           109

Shadow Hills                                    376                                               4

Sunland                                           2218                                              54

Tujunga                                           2819                                              62

Unincorporated LA County

Altadena                                                3215                                            64

Angeles National Forest                        32                                               1

La Crescenta/Montrose                     1051                                               13