KTLA

COVID-19 cases among L.A. firefighters see ‘sharp decline’ as crews get vaccinated

John Novela, a Los Angeles Fire Department fire inspector, receives a COVID-19 vaccination given by Mario Guillen, an LAFD firefighter paramedic in Dec. 2020.(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The number of Los Angeles firefighters testing positive for the coronavirus has dropped significantly since the city fire agency began offering its members vaccinations, Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said in a memo to firefighters this week.

Terrazas, in a memo dated Tuesday and posted on the department’s internal website, said the LAFD has seen a “sharp decline” in cases since firefighters started getting the shots on Dec. 28.

A chart included with the memo shows that the LAFD was averaging more than 15 new cases per day before the vaccination program. The number soon plummeted. In the most recent week, the department has averaged fewer than five new cases per day.

“We are continuing to strongly encourage our sworn members to get the COVID vaccine and are offering it multiple times per week indefinitely,” Terrazas told The Times on Wednesday.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.