Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise among people experiencing homelessness in LA County. Group shelters are having a particularly hard time controlling the spread. Since October, coronavirus positivity rates within the sheltered homeless population have gone from about 2% to 10%, according to Dr. Heidi Behforouz, chief medical officer for LA County’s Housing For Health program.
LA homeless shelters hit by COVID outbreaks
At the beginning of the pandemic, the city deployed hand-washing stations to several large homeless encampments. But maintenance has been spotty. Photo by Anna Scott.
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