Appointments are no longer required at the 18 COVID-19 test sites run by L.A County, County Health Services Director, Doctor Christina Ghaly announced today.
The city of LA also doesn't require appointments for COVID-19 tests at the sites it operates.
This annoucemenet comes as coronavirus cases in the county dipped to their lowest level since before the deadly winter holiday surge.
Today health officials reported an additional 13 deaths and 880 new, confirmed cases, with just over 1,100 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19. As of the end of February, the seven-day average of new cases has dropped to about 700 cases — what county public health director Barbara Ferrer called a return to "pre-surge" levels.
But while she welcome the good news, Ferrer still warned that with infections ticking up in other states, not enough people are vaccinated to stop another spike in cases:
"L.A. County does not exist in a bubble, and we have learned that when cases across other parts of country increase, California can follow. So we can't afford to be complacent in our collective efforts to slow transmission."
To date, more than 800,000 Angelenos are now fully vaccinated, out of an adult population of about 8 million people.
Ferrer also confirmed today that starting Monday, March 15th, the county will expand vaccine eligibility to everyone aged 16 to 64 with a qualifying underlying health condition that makes them more susceptible to severe illness or death from COVID-19. That aligns with state guidance.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now
