Vaccines: Johnson & Johnson has applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization to roll out its single-dose vaccine, with the first shipments possible by early March, The New York Times reports. The application followed a promising clinical trial in the U.S., Latin America and South Africa that found the vaccine was 85 percent effective in preventing severe infections in all three regions. While not as far along, the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC and the University of Oxford was shown effective against a highly transmissible variant of the virus in a small-scale study, according to The Wall Street Journal.  The results, which have not been peer reviewed, found that the vaccine was 74.6 percent effective against the variant first detected in Britain. Preliminary findings suggest that all of the vaccines, including the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines already on the market, provide some protections against new coronavirus variants that are spreading around the world.

Locally, if you are eligible, you can make an appointment to be vaccinated at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/hcwsignup/ in LA County and https://www.cityofpasadena.net/public-health/covid-19-vaccine/ for Pasadena.

Pasadena residents should contact their healthcare provider or local pharmacy for vaccine availability. For more information on vaccine availability at local pharmacies, visit: Vons: https://www.vons.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html; Pavilions: https://www.pavilions.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html; Ralphs: https://www.ralphs.com/rx/guest/get-vaccinated; CVS: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine; Walgreens: https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-vaccine.jsp

Health officials in Pasadena reported 36 new cases on Saturday, raising its total to 10,440 cases; its death toll remained 272. Pasadena reported five additional COVID-19 deaths on Thursday as new infections in the city continued declining significantly. All five of the latest victims were residents of long-term care facilities, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Officials documented 36 new infections, marking the lowest number of new daily cases seen in the city in more than two months. A total of 10,376 cases of the virus and 269 fatalities had been recorded in Pasadena. City officials reported 19,861 Pasadenans had received their first vaccine dose, while another 3,457 had already received both doses. The city remained in Phase 1b of Tier 1 under the state’s vaccination distribution framework.

Huntington Hospital reported treating 137 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with 20 of them being treated in intensive care units. Average daily COVID-19 admissions have dropped steadily in recent weeks to 15.8, according to hospital data.

PASADENA REVISED RULES ON GATHERINGS – Private gatherings, limited to 3 households or fewer and subject to other restrictions in state and local health officer orders,  can occur outdoors on private property, and venues can also host private gatherings outdoors.  Examples include baby showers, birthday parties, micro-weddings, and holiday celebrations.  

  • The host or venue must following the Guidance for Private Gatherings
  • This allowance does not extend to business meetings.  According to the state, non-essential office activities must continue to be conducted remotely until LA County reaches Tier 3 Orange. 
  • The number of individuals is limited to 3 households or fewer.  The households should be stable, meaning when they gather, it should be the same 3 households each time.
  • The gathering must occur outdoors.
  • Physical distancing (6 feet) must be observed at all times, face coverings worn, hand sanitizer available, and handwashing facilities accessible.
  • Food must be individually plated or packaged.  Self-serve buffets, shared plates, communal containers, etc. are not allowed.  Face coverings can be removed only while guests are seated for dining.
  • The gathering/meeting is limited to 2 hours.
  • Singing, chanting, shouting, and playing of wind instruments are strongly discouraged, and subject to rules, including face coverings for people singing or chanting, and greater physical distancing.  
  • Wedding ceremonies must be limited to 3 households if a reception is planned to follow at the same location (micro-weddings). 

 

WEDDING CEREMONY ONLY – Larger wedding ceremonies may occur, but the reception including food and entertainment is not allowed.

  • The host or business must follow the Guidance for Places of Worship.
  • The number of attendees is limited by the space. Seating must incorporate a minimum of 6 feet of distance between attendees from different households.
  • The gathering is limited to the ceremony only (no reception), and cannot include food or entertainment.
  • The gathering must occur outdoors.
  • Physical distancing (6 feet) must be observed at all times, face coverings worn, hand sanitizer available, and handwashing facilities accessible.
  • Singing, chanting, shouting, and playing of wind instruments are strongly discouraged, and subject to rules, including face coverings for people singing or chanting, and greater physical distancing.  

 

Los Angeles County reported 4,860 new cases of the coronavirus and 193 COVID-19 deaths Saturday and confirmed nine new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals was 4,421, according to the state dashboard, with 28.8% of those people in intensive care units.

The latest cases of MIS-C bring the number of children infected in the county to 75, including one death. MIS-C is an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19, with symptoms including fever that doesn’t go away and inflamed body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. All 75 children with MIS-C in the county were hospitalized and 44% were treated in the ICU. Of the 75, 32% were under the age of 5, 39% were ages 5-11 and 29% were ages 12-20. Latino children account for 76% of the reported cases, the department said.

Saturday’s updated numbers brought the county’s totals since the pandemic began to 1,143,422 cases and 17,955 fatalities, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The county’s update Saturday did not include updated figures from Long Beach and Pasadena.

County officials also reported slow but steady progress in vaccination efforts Friday but said less than 3% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and appointments for first doses will be difficult to come by this week.

State of California public health officials announced 14,170new infections and 536 additional fatalities on Saturday, raising California’s overall totals to 3,376,561 documented cases of COVID-19 and 43,638 deaths. The statewide average positivity rate over the prior week declined to 6.1%, and the 14-day average had fallen to 6.9%, according to California Department of Public Health Data.

As of Thursday, L.A. County represented 34% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 41% of the state’s fatalities.

Coronavirus deaths in the United States surpassed 450,000 Thursday, and daily deaths remain stubbornly high at more than 3,000 a day, despite falling infections and the arrival of multiple vaccines. Infectious disease specialists expect deaths to start dropping soon, after new cases hit a peak right around the beginning of the year. New COVID-19 deaths could ebb as early as next week, said the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

California unemployment claims last week topped 100,000 again, government officials reported Thursday, in a sign the job market has yet to shake off economic woes unleashed by the coronavirus. Jobless workers in the week ending Jan. 30 filed 104,400 initial unemployment claims, a 79% increase from the 58,200 jobless claims filed the week before, according to U.S. Labor Department data.

The claims’ leap comes as the Employment Development Department continues to struggle to pay jobless workers in a timely fashion due to the agency’s broken call center and archaic computer systems. Conversely, U.S. jobless claims dropped by 33,000 to 779,000 applications for the week that ended Jan. 30, according to the report. The U.S. numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.

California continues to generate a high share of the nation’s jobless claims, accounting for 13% of jobless claims filed in the entire country. The state’s labor force represents 12% of the national labor pool. Overall, California’s jobless claims remain elevated. During the 11 months of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns, initial claims have been above 100,000 every week except for one — the week ending Jan. 23. Other than Jan. 23, the last time California unemployment claims were below 100,000 was the week that ended March 14, 2020.

Last week’s U.S. unemployment jobless claims dropped by 33,000 to 779,000 applications for the week ending Jan. 30, according to the report. The U.S. numbers were adjusted for seasonal variations.

California continues to generate a high share of the nation’s jobless claims, accounting for 13% of jobless claims filed in the entire country. The state’s labor force represents 12% of the national labor pool.

It left the weekly figure at its lowest point in two months but nevertheless elevated: Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession.

Thursday’s report reflects a U.S. job market that is still suffering from the pandemic, with hiring having weakened for six straight months. It is a key reason why President Joe Biden is pushing Congress to enact a $1.9 trillion economic rescue program, on top of a $900 billion federal aid package that was approved late last year.

PPP Round Two:

Applications for the second round of PPP loans from the federal government are available. If you haven't done so already, please contact yuor bank to inquire about applying. The second round application is streamlined with much less documentation required to apply. If you received a first round PPP loan, much of the paperwork submitted for that satisfies document requirements.

SBA Hosts PPP Loan Webinars: The SBA’s Orange County / Inland Empire District office, in collaboration with SCORE, invites you to learn more about the Economic Aid Act and the PPP Relaunch. In this webinar, presenters will cover the application process, required forms and guidance, and conduct a Q&A session for attendees.

Please Join Us

February 9: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 10: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 11: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 16: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 17: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 18: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 23: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 24: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

February 25: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST

Click on a date above to register now. 

More:

On Friday, January 29, a new law took effect to extend tenant eviction and homeowner protections through June 30th, 2021. It also created a new program to help tenants and landlords deal with unpaid rental debt.

  • Eviction Relief.  Tenants cannot be evicted for a COVID-19 related hardship from September 1, 2020 ? June 30, 2021, if tenant returns a declaration of hardship form to their landlord and pays at least 25% of the rent due by June 30, 2021.
  • Rental Assistance.  Cities and counties can set up their own rental assistance programs using money from the federal government to provide help.  Applications should be available in March, so check with your local city or county.  For more information, please visit http://housingiskey.com or call the California Housing COVID-19 Assistance Line at (833) 422-4255.
  • Property Owner Protections. The new law also extends consumer protections for requests of mortgage forbearance for homeowners impacted by COVID-19 until September 1, 2021.

For full details on the tenant, landlord, and homeowner protections, as well as the upcoming rental assistance program, please visit the following websites: