Morning Brief: Empty Vaccination Clinics, Mountain Lions, And Sets Of Three

Good morning, L.A. It’s April 18.

COVID-19 vaccinations have officially been available for over a year, but 1.7 million eligible Angelenos still haven’t received their shots. Now, officials report that attendance is plummeting at vaccination events, underscoring the difficulty of convincing the unvaccinated-by-choice to change their minds. 

According to our partner newsroom, Kaiser Health News, the number of residents in L.A. County who got their first shot of the vaccine in March was down by 79% since January.

That tracks with research from the Public Policy Institute of California, which found that the number of adults in the state who said they would definitely not get the vaccine has remained relatively the same since January 2021.

Both California and L.A. have been lifting COVID-19 precautions over the past months, including ceasing to require masks indoors and vaccine proof for indoor mega events.

These decisions come despite the fact that the omicron subvariant, BA.2, has been spreading rapidly. At local schools, the rate of positive tests tripled since LAUSD dropped their mask requirement.

Dr. Richard Seidman, the chief medical officer for L.A. Care, said people’s reasons for remaining unvaccinated vary widely. 

“For some, it’s distrust of the government or health care providers in general,” he said. “Some are more cautious and want to take a wait-and-see approach. Others simply don’t believe the science.”

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• Two mountain lion kittens originally found in Thousand Oaks tested positive for rodenticide poisoning, according to National Park Service officials who released the post-mortem findings.
• California won’t require COVID-19 vaccines for children this fall, and a bill to mandate kids vaccines without personal belief exemptions has also stalled out.
• BeReal is a new social media app that founders hope cuts through the pressure to look perfect online.
• An influential panel of experts said all kids ages eight to 18 should be screened regularly for anxiety.

Before You Go ... 'Tres Sonetos' Explores The Spaces In Between

The installation of "Tres Sonetos" at Regen Projects.

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Courtesy Regen Projects

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Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas’s latest Los Angeles exhibition, Tres Sonetos at Regen Projects, is built around triplets, using a set of rules he created for himself based on three groups of three, writes my colleague Mike Roe.

The works on display include three sets of three: three sculptures, three large drawings, and three painted handkerchiefs. Like a Venn diagram, this work is also about the spaces in between. Get in the middle of it here.