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CONTACT: Rosa Maria Santana, Deputy Communications Director, (213) 359-0795 or rsantana@bos.lacounty.gov
Los Angeles, CA - As Los Angeles County experiences a surge in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations, communities of color in areas with high rates of poverty remain hardest-hit by the pandemic. To address this health inequity, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis has announced that LA County will ramp up testing capacity at three existing testing sites in the First District and will open three new testing sites in the San Gabriel Valley and Southeast Los Angeles County within the next few weeks.
“The fact that our communities of color fare poorly in health outcomes, and are more susceptible to COVID-19, is not an accident. Decades of institutional racism have made our communities more vulnerable, which is why I am committed to expanding access to COVID-19 testing sites,” said Supervisor Solis. “Sadly, many Black and Latinx residents are hardworking essential workers who do not have the option to work from home or call in sick during this pandemic. I want testing to be accessible, free, and safe for anyone who needs to be tested for COVID-19.
“While a County testing site may ask for insurance information in order to recover costs, no one will be turned away for being uninsured. We will not allow financial barriers or immigration status to get in the way of access to COVID-19 testing,” added Supervisor Solis. “No one is in this pandemic alone. We are all in this together, and LA County is committed to equitably distributing resources to make sure our historically underinvested communities do not continue to bear the brunt of this crisis.”
Of the 3,760 people who have died from COVID-19, 47 percent are Latinx, 26 percent are white, 15 percent are Asian, 11 percent are African American, <1 percent are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 1 percent were identified by another race or ethnicity, according to LA County’s Department of Public Health.
Though Black residents comprise 9 percent of LA County’s population, they represent 11 percent of those dying from COVID-19. Latinx people make up 50 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases, though they only represent 48.6 percent of the County’s population.
In LA County, Black and Latinx residents are twice as likely as white residents to die from COVID-19.
County health officials earlier this week unveiled a plan to expand testing capacity by 65 percent in communities most impacted by COVID-19. Data has shown that people living in areas with higher levels of poverty are four times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who live in communities with low levels of poverty.
Under Supervisor Solis’ leadership, the County will enhance capacity at existing testing sites in East Los Angeles, El Monte, and at the Pomona Fairplex.
In unincorporated areas of East Los Angeles, the median income is nearly $20,000 and Latinx residents make up 95 percent of the population. While the County’s overall COVID-19 case rate is 1,296 per 100,000 people, East Los Angeles has twice that case rate at 2,799 per 100,000.
On July 14, Supervisor Solis announced the opening of a new drive-through testing site in Boyle Heights, near the iconic Mariachi Plaza, to serve the hot spots of East Los Angeles and nearby Boyle Heights. Total Testing Solutions began testing people earlier this week.
In Huntington Park, where the median income is $18,496, Latinx residents comprise 95 percent of the city’s population. Huntington Park’s case rate is 2,755 per 100,000 people. Both Huntington Park and East Los Angeles are in Supervisor Solis’ First District.
To mitigate the unequal spread of the coronavirus, the County will open new testing sites in the cities of Azusa, Montebello, and South Gate in the coming weeks. County public health officials have identified these areas as hot spots, where the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate.
In May, over 200 workers at nine industrial facilities in the City of Vernon, located in the Southeast region of LA County, tested positive for COVID-19 with the largest outbreak reported at the Farmer John meatpacking plant. Though few people actually live in Vernon, approximately 50,000 people work at the more than 1,800 businesses located in the industrial city. Most of these workers live in the nearby Southeast communities of South Gate, Huntington Park, and Bell, among others. A number of communities near the City of Vernon have reported daily increases of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks.
Several of these Latinx workers are undocumented, older in age, and have underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for hospitalization, if exposed to the virus.
South Gate Vice Mayor Al Rios said expanded COVID-19 testing throughout Southeast Los Angeles County is the linchpin in flattening the curve.
"Residents in Southeast Los Angeles County, and surrounding communities, are very appreciative of Supervisor Hilda Solis’ leadership in selecting the City of South Gate for COVID-19 testing after the region witnessed an increase in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19,” said Rios. “This decision will prevent the spread of the virus, and ultimately, will save lives.”
For more information about testing, or to schedule a free appointment, please visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.
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