LA County issues order requiring all county employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 1

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis issued an executive order requiring all county employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct 1.

"I am issuing an Executive Order to require all County employees, regardless of the Department they serve, to be fully vaccinated no later than October 1, 2021, with exemptions for medical and religious purposes," Solis said in a statement. "This timeline gives our employees the time they need to consult with their healthcare providers, while moving expeditiously to protect the health and safety of our 110,000 workers."

The executive order can be viewed here.

Other supervisors have expressed support for a vaccine mandate for county workers, including Janice Hahn and Sheila Kuehl. They announced Tuesday they had planned on presenting a motion to require county employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.

Since California reopened its economy June 15, cases in L.A. County have surged. Another 3,734 COVID-19 cases were reported in the county Wednesday, the largest single-day number since the beginning of February. The new cases gave the county an overall total from throughout the pandemic of 1,311,656. Sixteen additional deaths were reported, including a child under the age of 12 with underlying health conditions.

While the pace of vaccinations has slowed significantly since earlier this year, county health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the county has now seen two consecutive weeks of small increases in the number of people receiving a first dose. Between July 19 and 25, about 70,000 doses were administered in the county, up about 7,500 from the previous week.

Of the county's 10.3 million residents, 60% have received at least one dose, and 52% are fully vaccinated. Roughly 1.3 million residents under age 12 remain ineligible for the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the city of L.A. is now considering vaccine requirements. The proposal would mandate eligible people show proof of at least one dose to enter public indoor spaces, like bars, restaurants and stadiums.

RELATED: California to require vaccination or testing for state employees and health care workers

California announced all state and healthcare employees will be required to show proof of vaccination or be subjected to weekly testing.

City News Service contributed to this report.