Amid Los Angeles County's latest surge, COVID-19 cases also increased among people experiencing homelessness.
The latest weekly tally of new cases for the vulnerable group was 114. That new case number is far lower than what the county saw at the peak of the winter surge. But, the cases are still significantly higher than the weekly average of fewer than 30 cases reported up until mid-July.
Public health officials said more than 25,000 homeless people have been fully vaccinated. The county does not know how many homeless people there are in the area now. The last count was done before the pandemic started. But based on the last count, well over 40,000 have yet to be fully vaccinated.
Health officials expressed concern over the large number still unvaccinated given the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and the fact that homeless people are at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19.
Outbreaks have been reported at several shelters, including one in Venice with 37 cases.
Project Roomkey, a program launched last year to rapidly shelter vulnerable homeless people in leased motel and hotel rooms, has been winding down for months in L.A. County, even though full federal reimbursements are available through the end of the year.