Los Angeles City Mayor Garcetti provided updates on COVID-19 outbreaks, and the need for a broader reach in testing capacity. Multiple hands helped grow this seed, including 9th District City Council member Curren Price, The HACLA President and CEO Doug Guthrie, CORE, and many more public and private sectors. Think tanks across Los Angeles are facing a multitude of challenges that has infected everyone collectively due to the pandemic, mobile testing sites are the beginning of many more innovative solutions.
“We might be done with COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done with us. We see that every single day, we’re seeing worrying numbers across the united states.” Mayor Garcetti continued to describe the local progress in stability within the daily reduced death rates and steady number in hospitalization. However, He did not glaze over the new increase in positive cases that are released.
Testing remains the strongest defense against COVID-19, Tuesday Mayor Garcetti announced the deployment of mobile testing units. They will be working with HACLA public Housing facilities throughout Los Angeles. The mobile testing sites will visit each of the 15 HACLA locations 2-3 times, providing access to 25 thousand Angelenos who reside in public housing. With Black Americans residing in Los Angeles being highly affected by COVID-19, Garcetti described this opportunity as a “ tool for equity.
With the launch of the mobile testing program, the construction of the site is to be flexible to the need and the current moment. This partnership adds to the list of 23 testing sites that are ran by the city and the county.
Council member Curren Price stated, “Increasing access to coronavirus testing to our most vulnerable neighbors is one of my top priorities. I recently launched an education outreach program and our goal is to have at least 90% of our residents tested.” Council Member Price stressed the importance of testing among the most susceptible, price touched on the health disparities within underserved communities. He shared that going to work without getting tested will have catastrophic effects on the stability L.A. has seen, Price complimented the practice in South L.A. in constructing pop up testing sites to be readily available.
The mobile testing group was originally formed in April, for the task to test the most vulnerable populations. Executive Director of L.A. Civil and Human Rights Department Capri Maddox spoke on the matter of equality in accessibility. “I’m so delighted to stand here with you as we work as partners to confront past injustices, build Los Angeles to be fair and equitable for all, regardless of the color of your skin, your employment status, your disability status, who you love, or where you live.”
The last COVID-19 case count was given publicly on Monday, June 22 by Los Angeles Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer. latest numbers surrounding coronavirus reflected 18 additional deaths, 13 of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, nine of them with underlining health conditions. Four people who died were between the ages of 41-65, they all had preexisting health concerns. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 3,137. The mayor mentioned briefly in the recent review, there is has been a significant increase with the spread of COVID-19 among younger age groups.
Attorney Maddox shared the importance in addressing the major causes of inequities in the community. Private and public sectors are looking together at what it takes to shelter and heal the community from this Pandemic, CORE and the L.A. Fire Department had their hand in assisting with creating this program and giving the momentum to grow.
