California officials lifted regional coronavirus stay-at-home orders across the state on Monday, a change that could allow restaurants and businesses in many counties to reopen outdoor dining and other services. All counties will return to the colored tier system that assigns local risk levels based on case numbers and rates of positive test results for coronavirus infections. Most counties will be classified under the “widespread” risk tier, which permits hair salons to offer limited services indoors but restricts many other nonessential indoor business operations.
The change, which takes effect immediately, could lessen restrictions in in the Southern California, Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley regions, which were still under stay-at-home orders, unless local officials adopt stronger restrictions. Throughout the pandemic, local leaders have been allowed to go beyond the state’s rules, approve their own stay-at-home orders or shut down additional activities they deem too risky for their areas.
Stats and Updates: Six new COVID-19-related fatalities reported in Pasadena on Thursday raised the city’s pandemic death toll beyond 200. The newly reported deaths involved people, both in facility and community settings, who were exposed to the virus around late-November and early-December and died late last year, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. The cases were added to official records as official death certificates were received. Health officials also reported 98 new infections in the city.
New COVID-19 infections were trending downward throughout Los Angeles County on Friday, but deaths attributed to the recent holiday surges continue to inflict a heavy toll on Pasadena, where nine additional fatalities were reported. It marked the second deadliest day of the pandemic in the city, exceeded only by Dec. 31, when 10 deaths were reported, according to city data. The victims were ages 57, 59, 65, 70, 77, 82, 83, 84 and 87, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. They were primarily believed to have become infected around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pasadena saw 96 new infections on Friday. Since the onset of the pandemic, Pasadena Public Health Department officials has recorded a total of 9,655 COVID-19 cases and 212 fatalities. The city’s average daily infections over the prior week remained at 88 for a second day. City officials reported 45 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. So far, the city has reported 9,776 COVID-19 cases and 226 fatalities, with two of those deaths occurring on Sunday and 12 happening on Saturday.
Huntington Hospital reported treating 185 COVID-19 patients on Friday, with 36 of them being treated in intensive care units.
Despite new cases Thursday that nearly doubled the number reported Wednesday, the overall average daily infections reported over the prior week remained on a downward trajectory, according to city data. An average of 88 people were being infected daily over the prior week, down from 198 on Jan. 10. Huntington Hospital officials reported treating 179 COVID-19 patients, with 39 of them being treated in intensive care units.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 8,512 new infections and 262 additional fatalities on Thursday, raising the county’s totals to 1,046,021 cases of COVID-19 and 14,641 associated deaths. Officials reported 7,263 patients were hospitalized with the virus, with 23% of them being treated in ICUs. The agency reported 9,227 new infections and 256 deaths, raising the county’s overall totals to 1,054,802 COVID-19 cases and 14,894 fatalities. Twenty-four percent of them were being treated in ICUs. L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer commended the progress and encouraged members of the public to remain cautious. The test positivity rate has also dropped to 12.7%. On January 1st, the test positivity rate was 20.8%; this is a reduction of 39%in three weeks. Just prior to the recent holiday surge, however, the county-wide test positivity rate had dropped to 3.8%.
At the state level, on Friday the California Department of Public Health announced 23,024 new infections and 764 additional deaths. Since March, 3,062,068 total infections and 35,024 deaths have been documented. The statewide positivity rate over the prior two weeks continued to ebb downward, reaching 10.5%, according to the CDPH.
As of Friday, L.A. County accounted for 34% of California COVID-19 deaths and 42% of the state’s infections.
Vaccines: In California, anyone over 65 years old is eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine. But both Pasadena and L.A. County are far short of having enough doses for every eligible person. The county prioritizes those people getting second doses, so fewer people are receiving their first-round injection, and scheduling a second dose has become complicated and problematic.
In Pasadena, which has its own public health department, everyone who receives the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a city location is given an appointment 28 days later for a second dose. But unlike L.A. County, which prioritizes second doses at the expense of vaccinating new people, Pasadena is pushing first-time doses out the door as quickly as possible and expecting that vaccine distribution will be ramped up in time to provide second doses to people who need them in a few weeks. For more on Pasadena’s vaccine procedures, visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/public-health/covid-19-vaccine/#vaccine-allocation-phases
LA County is vaccinating everyone over 65 years of age, health care and other critical care workers, residents of senior care facilities and those with underlying conditions that make them susceptible to serious complications if infected. LA County is actively vaccinating the following groups:
- Healthcare workers (HCWs) at high and moderate risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus through their work in any role in health care or long-term care settings. High and moderate risk means the HCW has direct or indirect contact with patients or infectious materials (Phase 1A)
- Long-term care facility residents (Phase 1A)
- Persons age 65 and over (Phase 1B Tier 1)
Please visit www.vaccinatelacounty.com for more information and to make an appointment.
Pasadena is currently vaccinating those 65 years of age or older, critical care workers and those with serious underlying conditions, as well as residents of senior care facilities. You can book an appointment with Pasadena here:
Tournament of Roses: In January, the Tournament of Roses traditionally announces its new President and a theme for the upcoming Rose Parade. With the cancellation of the 2021 Rose Parade as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors confirmed Thursday that current President Dr. Robert B. Miller will remain President and Chairman of the Board for the 2022 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, providing leadership for the 133rd Rose Parade and 108th Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2022. The Rose Parade will follow through with Miller’s original theme, too, picked for this year’s canceled Rose Parade: “Dream. Believe. Achieve.”
Loans and Grants:
The SBA has re-opened the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portal to all participating PPP lenders. PPP provides loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. SBA is currently offering:
- First Draw PPP loans- for those borrowers who have not received a PPP loan before August 8, 2020.
- Second Draw PPP loans- for eligible small businesses with 300 employees or less and that previously received a First Draw PPP loan. These borrowers will have to use or had used the full amount of their First Draw loan only for authorized uses and demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020. The maximum amount of a Second Draw PPP loan is $2 million.
The Paycheck Protection Program remains open for First and Second Draw PPP loans until March 31, 2021, as set forth in the Economic Aid Act, or until Congressionally-appropriated funding is exhausted.
If you work with a local bank, it is best to contact your representative to see if they are lending under the PPP program.
SBA hosts ongoing webinars on the PPP program. Join SBA TUESDAY - Jan 26nd @ 11am for a webinar to discuss the PPP and get your questions answered!! NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this event. JOIN HERE
LA County Loan Program: The Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) will launch the Small Business Stabilization Loan Program on January 28, 2021. The loan program is made possible through a $10 million business recovery assistance fund issued by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The funds were made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Recovery Assistance, and are intended to prevent job loss and business closure. The Program will provide flexible and affordable capital to small businesses Countywide. The Small Business Stabilization Loan Program will start accepting applications on January 28, 2021, and will remain open indefinitely. To apply for the Small Business Stabilization Loan, the applicant is required to attend an online “Applying for An Affordable & Flexible LACDA Loan” webinar to learn more about requirements of the application process and documentation needed. Webinars are currently available for registration. Upon completion of the webinar, the LACDA will then connect interested applicants with a Technical Assistance provider to assist with the business loan application. Further details are available at BizStabilization.LACDA.org.
President Joe Biden has proposed a large scale Coronavirus response from the Federal government. Here is the plan:
Employment: California's reported unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) in December rose 0.9 point from the revised November number to 9.0%. Total reported employment dropped 91,700 from the revised November numbers, while total unemployment grew 163,700. The labor force was largely unchanged at a net growth of 72,000. These, however, are the statistical rather than the actual results. Employment in the unadjusted numbers showed a deeper drop of 195,700.
The reported national numbers show US unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) unchanged at 6.7%, but more likely was up to 0.6 point higher due to the ongoing misclassification issues. Employment remained essentially level with a growth of only 21,000, and unemployment edging up by only 8,000. The national labor force rose 31,000. The US numbers reflect revisions in the seasonally adjusted data from 2016 forward.
Nonfarm wage and salary jobs dropped 52,200 (seasonally adjusted) in December, while the gains in November were revised to 5,200 from the previously reported 57,100. Nonfarm jobs nationally were down 140,000. California job growth was led by Construction (31,600), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (20,300), and Administrative & Support & Waste Services (10,900). Losses were in 10 industries led by Accommodation & Food Services (-97,300), Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (-19,700), and Other Services (-11,000). The numbers shown in the chart below are the seasonally adjusted numbers.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Los Angeles County increased over the month to 11.0 percent in December 2020, from a revised 10.9 percent in November 2020, and was above the rate of 4.3 percent one year ago. Civilian employment decreased by 67,000 to 4,365,000 in December 2020, while unemployment decreased by 4,000 to 540,000. The civilian labor force decreased by 71,000 over the month to 4,905,000 in December 2020. (All of the above figures are seasonally adjusted.) The unadjusted unemployment rate for the county was 10.7 percent in December 2020.