Aggressive measures to battle California’s new coronavirus surge: Will they work?
LA TimesPedro Antonio Tobar Mendoza gets a COVID-19 vaccination from Jonica Portillo, a registered nurse, at the Pico Union Project on Friday in Los Angeles. That strain, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned over the weekend, is “one of the most aggressive and infectious respiratory diseases known, and currently makes up over 80% of sequenced cases in L.A. County.” According to the latest data released by the California Department of Public Health, 82.8% of coronavirus cases that have been analyzed in July have been identified as the Delta variant, up from 52.8% in June. “Our community, especially Latinos, they need to get in the queue to get vaccinated,” L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. “I’m very disappointed that we have such low rates of participation in terms of the vaccine.” Solis also urged county residents to get tested amid rising case numbers. “They may think it’s a cold, and that’s why I believe it’s very urgent to be tested.” Mask wearing L.A. County earlier this month required everyone to wear masks in indoor public spaces.