Los Angeles County could reach coronavirus herd immunity by mid-to-late July when the current rate of vaccinations continues, according to Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
While the region was an epicenter for the virus at the U.S., the county transferred to the state’s least restrictive tier last week. According to government information , the average for test positivity is significantly less than 1 percent. The amount is resting around record lows since the test positivity rate spiked at over 20 percent during a December surge, health officials previously noted.
Ferrer said it’s unclear exactly what proportion of the populace would need to have immunity from hepatitis or earlier infection, but suggested the figure is roughly 80 percent. During a briefing Monday, officials said almost 60 percent of qualified taxpayers had obtained a minumum of one dose.
“Community immunity is a degree of community vaccination that protects even those individuals who aren’t able to get vaccinated,” Ferrer said. “Although we’re not sure what percentage of the populace has to be vaccinated for this level to be attained, we do presume it is probably somewhere around 80%.”
There are over 2 million initial vaccinations to proceed before 80 percent of county residents 16 and older will have received one dose, Ferrer added.
“At the rate we are going, we hope that we’re able to achieve this level somewhere in mid to late July and that assumes we continue to have 400,000 individuals vaccinated every week, that will include both first doses people will desire, as well as their second doses,” she said.
County residents are now able to walk up and get vaccinated in county-run sites, smaller clinics and CVS stores. There are more than 700 websites and more than a hundred mobile clinics, with 50 schools administering vaccines across Los Angeles.
More than 8 million COVID-19 vaccinations are administered county-wide; almost 5 million taxpayers have obtained a minumum of one dose and over 3 million taxpayers are fully vaccinated, amid a background of some 10 million total residents.
The health manager estimates that there are a million 12-15-year-olds in the county, and officials are working with the country to get a lot more private professionals signed up with the national and state program so they can administer covid vaccines. The comments come as the FDA on Monday expanded Pfizer’s emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine to add children aged 12 to 15.
