Dear Residents,

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes continues to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles County and would like to share the following updates with the community:

The Latest

Public Health Updates COVID-19 Data Portal

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has updated its data portal to make it easier for health care professionals, news media, researchers and members of the public to get accurate and timely data about what we’re seeing in L.A. County.

The portal's updates have been designed to display key data points, including the important seven-day averages for:

New COVID-19 cases
Number of people tested for COVID-19
Testing positivity rates
Number of deaths
Death rates and
Hospitalization numbers

L.A. County carefully tracks these indicators on a daily basis to understand COVID-19 conditions, and now, you can, too!

To visit the new COVID-19 data portal, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data

Current COVID-19 Positivity Rate

The county's positivity rate is on the rise. The current seven-day average shows an increase in the number of people testing positive daily for COVID-19. The slide above illustrates the change in positivity rate over time, specifically from April 9 through June 30. As of June 30, the seven-day average of the daily positivity rate has now climbed to 10.4%.

Current Testing Capacity and Criteria

L.A. County Department of Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly indicates it is likely that testing access will not be sufficient to accommodate all those who want to be tested in the coming weeks. Currently, community-based testing sites are not experiencing any supply chain shortages. However, as testing volumes increase across the United States, that may change.

That’s why L.A. County is preparing by turning to its knowledge of COVID-19 to offer guidance to county residents. Please carefully consider (in consultation with your provider) whether you actually need a COVID-19 test. If you're not sure, learn L.A. County's criteria for testing:

Symptoms: If you have symptoms, you CAN sign up for a test, but it doesn’t mean you need to. You need to talk to your provider first.
High-risk congregant settings: Testing is key in settings where transmission can spread rapidly.
Known exposure: Know your exposure so that contacts can be traced if you are positive for COVID-19. This type of testing is key for tracing infection and for public health purposes.

And whether or not you get tested for COVID-19, remember:

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, you need to isolate. Keep your physician informed on your symptoms and, especially if you are elderly or have an underlying health condition, seek medical care if your symptoms worsen. If you don’t have a physician, call 211 to get connected to one. And if you are having trouble breathing or have other severe symptoms, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
If you were exposed to someone with a known infection, you need to quarantine for the full 14 days. A COVID-19 test should never be used as a way to end quarantine early. It will never do that.
The health officer orders are there to keep you and others safe, while still allowing society to reopen. A negative test cannot reassure you that you haven’t been exposed and won’t turn positive tomorrow. Don’t use a negative test as a “free pass” that allows others outside of your household to safely interact with you. It is not safe.

To learn more about the latest health guidance, testing information, or resources for making it through this difficult time, visit covid19.lacounty.gov.

COVID-19 and Pets

In some situations, COVID-19 can spread from people to animals. If you are sick, avoid contact with your pet to keep them healthy. There is no need to surrender your pet if you are sick.

What You Need to Know

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, have been reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19.
Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low.
It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations.
Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people outside the household.
If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC information will be updated as it becomes available.

Learn more at bit.ly/3b9XK1X.

Upcoming Local Blood Drive

Blood donations have decreased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthy, eligible donors are urged to come out and give to ensure there’s lifesaving blood on the shelves for those who need it.

The City of Palos Verdes Estates is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, July 28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the PVE Police Station, 340 Palos Verdes Drive West in Palos Verdes Estates.

Appointments can be made online at ucedonor.com (click on “Blood Drives” and enter “City of Palos Verdes Estates” in the Account Name box), or by phone at 310-825-0888 X 2.

Preparedness is Our Best Weapon

Whether it's a public health emergency like COVID-19, or natural disasters like wildfires, Californians have embraced a culture of preparedness. Listos California helps individuals, families and communities prepare for disasters and is also helping Californians respond to COVID-19. When we all do our part, we keep more people safe.

Find simple preparedness steps, tips and resources for you and your community at listoscalifornia.org

Covered California Extends Special Enrollment Deadline During COVID-19 Pandemic

Covered California is giving consumers more time to sign up for health care coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic by extending the current special enrollment deadline through the end of July.

Covered California initially opened the health insurance exchange to any eligible uninsured individuals, who needed health care coverage amid the COVID-19 nation emergency, from March 20 to June 30. The new deadline means that anyone who meets Covered California’s eligibility requirements, which are similar to those in place during the annual open enrollment period, can apply for coverage through July 31.

The most recent data shows that 175,030 people have signed up for health care coverage between March 20 and June 20, which is more than twice the number who signed up during the same time last year.

For more information, visit coveredca.com.

What is Contact Tracing?

Contact tracing is an important step in slowing the spread of COVID-19. It’s when health workers notify you that you’ve been in contact with an infected person, and you should also get tested. Public health departments have used contact tracing for decades to fight infectious disease.

Under the state’s contract tracing program, California Connected, health workers will talk to those who have tested positive. They’ll alert anyone they may have exposed, keeping names confidential. They’ll check symptoms, offer testing, and discuss next steps like self-isolation and medical care.

By finding spread patterns quickly, we slow infection and help avoid outbreaks. This lets California keep healthcare needs below capacity and safely reopen business.

All you have to do is answer a phone call.

Contact tracing is an anonymous way to do your part. The more people answer the call, the more lives and jobs California saves. Your information is always kept confidential.
Early awareness helps you protect your friends and loved ones from exposure. And early medical care can improve your outcome.

The sooner we can reach you, the sooner you can get advice, testing, and support.
Learn more at californiaconnected.ca.gov.

Cases

As of July 9, there are 124,738 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County (population 10.17 million), including the South Bay, so the public should not think one location is safer than another and everyone should be aware and practice physical distancing. The total includes 166 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 58 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 28 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), three in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and one in the unincorporated area of the Peninsula. Countywide, 3,689 people have died.

According to the Department of Public Health, 12 deaths have been reported in Rancho Palos Verdes. The City extends its deepest condolences to the families of these residents.

For a list of cases broken down by city, demographic characteristics, and settings, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/locations.htm

For an interactive dashboard with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community, poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity visit: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/

An interactive dashboard of COVID-19 cases in the South Bay maintained by the City of Torrance is available at bit.ly/2XB1fv1. The dashboard reflects information sourced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about the novel coronavirus.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus
California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov/covid19
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): cdc.gov/COVID19
World Health Organization: who.int/coronavirus
California Governor’s Office: covid19.ca.gov
County of Los Angeles: lacounty.gov/covid19
L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1
FEMA Coronavirus Rumor Control: https://www.fema.gov/Coronavirus-Rumor-Control

Sign up for “Notify Me” city listervs at rpvca.gov/notify

Be sure to also follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert SouthBay by:

Texting “alertsb” to 888-777, which returns a link to register for Everbridge (for COVID-19-related alerts, text the keyword "cv19rpv")
Registering online at alertsouthbay.com
Downloading the free Everbridge app on an iOS or Android device from the App Store or Google Play. Select “Find an organization or subscription” and search “alertsb”

Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert LA County at https://lacounty.gov/emergency/alert-la/