Tuesday, April 21. Los Angeles Public Officials welcomed Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health provided new data regarding the coronavirus outbreak in the Los Angeles region. Head of the Chief Executive Office’s Strategic Integration Branch, Tiana Murillo has been named the strategic leader to oversee the unsheltered population during this pandemic. Murillo was selected by CEO Sachi A. Hamai to manage the county department’s homeless initiatives. Urgent solutions are needed for those who are most susceptible to the virus. Los Angeles is looking for innovative ways to withstand the anticipated second wave of increased positive cases for COVID-19.
L.A. County appointed Tiana Murillo to coordinate strategies, the mission is to temporarily house the unsheltered population during the coronavirus outbreak. Selected by Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai, Murillo will oversee the L.A. County Department’s initiatives to secure and assist those experiencing homelessness county wide. Tiana is collaborating with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and other partnerships in the County department.
Initiatives under her direct supervision include “medical sheltering for those experiencing homelessness.” This includes those who already contracted the virus and need a place for isolation. In addition to that, Murillo is supervising the “Roomkey” project. The Roomkey initiative is a public and private sector collaboration between hotels in L.A. county; hotels and motels supply vacant rooms for those experiencing homelessness.
Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 Virus. Ferrer shared Tuesday, April 21. there were 46 additional deaths, 33 of these individuals were between the ages of 65 and over, 19 of them with underlining health conditions. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in the L.A. County to 663. Barbara disclosed as of April 21. There are 1,400 new COVID-19 reports. The jump in number of reports is due to backlogged cases and delayed lab results. In summary, there is a total amount of 15,140 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region.
These numbers reflect 464 positive cases in Long Beach and 249 COVID-19 reports coming from Pasadena. Approximately 25% of those infected with COVID-19 are hospitalized at some point. 89% of positive cases that died, had underlining health conditions. Data is reflecting 4.5% of carriers of the coronavirus have died, which is higher than the general mortality rate for influenza related deaths in the United States.
The current initiatives have temporarily housed more than 900 people that were exposed to the elements. The vacancy and building of sites to come online for the unsheltered grow daily. The L.A. County efforts to combat both the homeless disparity among a global pandemic are essential, to flatten the curve among the most vulnerable population. Their efforts protect the capacity of the overall health care system. Tiana Murillo’s assignment as Temporary Supervisory Administrator is effective immediately and has a term of 120 days. Tiana stated, “This assignment is a big challenge, not just for me personally but for all of the hardworking county staff and partners who are making a difference under difficult circumstances.”
