City of Torrance issued the following announcement on Dec. 30
On December 28, 2020, the Torrance Fire Department began receiving its allotment of COVID-19 vaccinations to be initially distributed to first responders. In addition, due to the overwhelming impact of the pandemic to area hospitals, TFD has deployed two ambulances to assist with patient care and transport. Fire Chief Martin Serna has assigned one Assistant Chief to the Los Angeles County Hospital Surge Plan to help coordinate patient triage efforts at our local Torrance hospitals. The regional plan was developed on partnership with the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs and the Los Angeles Emergency Medical Services Agency. The incident action plan will provide the framework to assist or receive resources from our Area and Regional partners. In an effort to maximize our resources the TFD has deployed a modified staffing model that will ensure our EMS services has deeper resiliency. This adjustment will remain in effect for the next 30 days.
Due to the proactive planning of the Fire Department, the Ken Miller Recreation Center has been approved as a Medical Point of Distribution (MPOD). Once citywide distribution of the vaccine becomes available, the Torrance MPOD will serve as a convenient location for the local area, but more importantly for Torrance residents. According to Chief Serna, “the community should feel confident that the City of Torrance and all of its departments are working daily to support the health and safety of our residents during this pandemic.”
The City of Torrance’s On-Going Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has remained activated in a virtual platform. The EOC team, comprised of City Staff and community partners such as our local hospitals and businesses, have continuously monitored guidance from County, State, and Federal agencies to ensure that the City’s employees and residents have the most current and accurate information.
Current Stay at Home Orders
The following Orders are currently in effect and apply to the City of Torrance.
California Department of Public Health’s Regional Stay Home Order
The Regional Stay Home Order, announced December 3, 2020, and a supplemental order, signed December 6, 2020, will go into effect at 11:59 PM the day after a region has been announced to have less than 15% Intensive Care Unit (ICU) availability. This Order remains in effect in the Southern California Region as our ICU capacity is currently reported as 0%. This Order prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100% masking (with certain exceptions as indicated within guidance for use of face coverings) and physical distancing in all others. More information may be found on the CDPH website: https://covid19.ca.gov/.
California Department of Public Health’s Limited Stay at Home Order
The Limited Stay at Home Order is in effect until such time as the Regional Stay Home Order has terminated in all Regions in the State of California. This Order directs that non-essential retail must cease between 10:00pm PST and 5:00am PST.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Temporary Safer at Home Order
On December 29, 2020 the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) revised their Temporary Targeted Safer at Home Health Officer Order for Control of COVID-19: Tier 1 Substantial Surge Updated Response. This Revised Order will remain in effect for as long as the State’s Regional Safer at Home Order is in effect. This Order mandates a 10-day quarantine for anyone returning to Los Angeles County after traveling out of the state or out of the country. More information may be found on the LACDPH website: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/.
Update on the COVID-19 Vaccine
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) has announced that initial vaccination efforts are aimed at vaccinating everyone in Phase 1A, Tier 1; these are our frontline healthcare workers and residents in long-term care facilities. Looking ahead, once they are done with vaccinating all groups in Tier 1, they will move to Tier 2 and Tier 3.
In Phase 1A, Tier 2, this group includes healthcare workers in immediate care facilities and home healthcare service, community health workers, public health field staff, and healthcare workers in primary care clinics, correctional facility clinics and urgent care clinics. In Phase 1A, Tier 3, this group includes healthcare workers in specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental and other oral health clinics, and pharmacy staff who are not within in the higher-tier settings.
As LACDPH begins with the first set of vaccinations for all the Tiers within Phase 1A, they have started to look at categories of individuals to receive vaccinations under Phase 1B and 1C. These are Phases adopted by the CDC to assist prioritization while there is a limited supply of vaccine and the County is following their guidance.
Persons within Tier 1B are considered persons 75 years and older and frontline essential workers. These include firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies, teachers and school staff, manufacturing workers, corrections workers, U.S. Postal Service workers, public transit and grocery store workers. A complete list will be published online on the County’s website.
Persons within Tier 1C are those who are 65 years or older and individuals 16 years and older with significant underlying health conditions that could create a serious health risk. This also includes additional essential workers not included in Tier 1B. For more information about the County’s vaccination plans, please visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
The first vaccine shipments are being used to vaccinate the frontline healthcare workers at acute care hospitals, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, and the staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities. These groups are within Tier 1 of Phase 1a. The Torrance Fire Department (TFD) received the vaccine on Monday, December 28, 2020 and they have begun to inoculate first responders.
The County began distribution of the Moderna vaccine to skilled nursing facilities at the end of last week right before the holiday and continued through the weekend. County, City, and curative teams are working together to accelerate vaccinations at skilled nursing facilities over the next two weeks.
Vaccinations at other long-term care facilities will happen through the federal pharmacy partnership with Walgreens and CVS and are likely to begin in early January. As L.A. County completes Tier 1 of Phase 1A, we will begin vaccinations for healthcare workers in Tier 2. This week and next, home health care workers and healthcare workers at primary care clinics, urgent care clinics and private practices will be invited to register for appointments through a secure web-based portal. All healthcare workers will need to show verification prior to vaccination.
Every week, as the county receives additional doses of vaccine, additional health care workers in Tiers 2 and 3 of Phase 1A will be offered vaccines. These include healthcare personnel engaging in field work, working at specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental and other oral health clinics, pharmacy staff (not in higher-tier settings) and vaccinators.
The City of Torrance is continuing to monitor vaccine availability and plans to coordinate with the County so that we can assist in making this vaccine available to our residents as soon as possible.
Original source can be found here.
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