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Virus Surge Grows More Urgent as Cases Flood Hospitals

Photo courtesy USC-VHH
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO Keith Hobbs recently received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as part of the first wave of inoculations for health-care workers. Officials are anxiously awaiting additional doses of the Moderna vaccine as coronavirus cases soar in L.A. County and continue to rise locally.

Los Angeles County continues to reel from people’s lack of adherence to health guidelines during the Thanksgiving holiday, as hospitals have become inundated with COVID-19 patients.
On Wednesday, the county Department of Public Health reported a record 8,023 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, and officials expect that number to climb over the next few weeks. Coronavirus cases in the county doubled in just one month, from 400,000 to 800,000, and Public Health officials said one in five residents currently tested is infected.
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Gym, Church Cited for Violating COVID-19 Order

Photo by Christian Leonard / Burbank Leader
EnrichFit Gym in Burbank has received four citations from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which said it allowed patrons to exercise indoors.

A gym and church were the two Burbank establishments that recently received citations for failing to follow a health order aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, Los Angeles County officials said.
EnrichFit Gym has received four citations for continuing to allow patrons to exercise indoors, according to the county’s Department of Public Health. Fines issued to the gym totaled $2,500 as of this week. The gym was ordered closed on Aug. 6 for an initial citation, the department said in an email, but has continued to operate indoors.
Currently, according to state and county requirements, gyms are allowed to hold activities outdoors only. The gym did not respond to multiple requests for comment, though the front door of the business bears a sign saying it “functions in the private domain only” and is “members only and not open to the public.”
People could be seen walking in and out of the gym, and loud music could be heard playing inside.

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County’s Coronavirus Statistics Fuel New Hope for Reopenings

Los Angeles County is moving in the right direction when it comes to lowering COVID-19 transmission, a trend that bodes well for local economies that have been decimated by the pandemic.
“We have made a lot of progress reducing transmission in L.A. County since we experienced that surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths starting in mid-July,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference on Wednesday. “As we consider our future reopenings, we’re going to use the lessons we learn from our past and community transmission indicators to guide decisions regarding reopening sectors and permitting additional services.”

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COVID-19 Figures Raise Hopes

Los Angeles County is moving in the right direction when it comes to lowering COVID-19 transmission, a trend that bodes well for local economies that have been decimated by the pandemic.
“We have made a lot of progress reducing transmission in L.A. County since we experienced that surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths starting in mid-July,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said at a news conference on Wednesday. “As we consider our future reopenings, we’re going to use the lessons we learn from our past and community transmission indicators to guide decisions regarding reopening sectors and permitting additional services.”
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Airport ‘Erroneously’ Placed on Outbreak List, Official Says

Photo by Christian Leader / Burbank Leader
Airport officials say five COVID-19 cases reported at the Hollywood Burbank Airport did not constitute an outbreak — and that Los Angeles County officials acknowledged a mistake in reporting them as one.

Burbank residents scanning Los Angeles County’s list of locations of COVID-19 outbreaks may have been discouraged to see the Hollywood Burbank Airport named last week, but the airport said the entry was a mistake.
After The Leader inquired about the listing on the county Department of Public Health website, airport officials reached out to the agency, according to Lucy Burghdorf, the airport’s director of public affairs and communications.
“They were perplexed,” she said by phone.
After a couple of days, according to Burghdorf, airport officials got their response. “The information was input erroneously,” she said the DPH had replied.

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County Receives Go-Ahead for More Reopenings

Photo by Zane Hill / Glendale News-Press
The Americana at Brand plans to reopen its stores for normal business — at half capacity — starting on Monday. Los Angeles County officials decided this week that retailers could reopen with the restrictions.

Los Angeles County officials have given the green light for restaurants to resume dine-in service, as well as for barbers and hair salons to reopen, provided they adhere to proper distancing and hygiene protocol.
The Friday update followed an announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom that L.A. County was free to reopen those businesses according to state guidelines. Glendale, like most L.A. County cities, follows health direction from the county Department of Public Health.
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COVID-19 Count Up to 11; City Council Preps for Financial Impact

With the city’s confirmed COVID-19 cases growing to 11 based on Tuesday’s announcement from the county, San Marino Fire Chief Mario Rueda encouraged residents to “stay the course” by adhering to social distancing recommendations and to avoid public gatherings whenever possible.
“We are still taking our cues from the experts and they are advising that we stay the course and continue on with our current procedures,” said Rueda in an interview.
Rueda took issue with several resistance efforts across the country by protestors demanding a rapid return to normalcy and a lifting of quarantine efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in strict guidelines against public or private congregation, known as “Safer at Home,” and has shut down all schools and businesses except those considered “essential” in order to contain its spread. Continue reading “COVID-19 Count Up to 11; City Council Preps for Financial Impact”

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Caution Urged as Three Coronavirus Cases Emerge

Photo by Wes Woods II / OUTLOOK
The tennis courts on Cornishon Avenue were closed recently after the city of La Cañada Flintridge took action to reduce opportunities for coronavirus transmission following an L.A. County Department of Public Health order.

As Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials confirmed three coronavirus cases in a region including La Cañada Flintridge as of Wednesday, the city’s mayor called this a “serious and difficult time” for the community.
The region referred to by public health also includes unincorporated La Crescenta-Montrose and has a population of 40,253.
“I ask that our residents stay up to date with the recommendations to battle this virus,” Mayor Leonard Pieroni said in an email to The Outlook this week. “Adhere to the ‘safer at home’ orders from the federal, state and county leadership. We are all in this situation together. I count on our community to look out for our families, friends, and especially those that might need more help during this time. We will get through this, and I am looking forward to that.”
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