Amid Countywide COVID-19 Surge, LA Official Calls Unvaccinated ‘Selfish’

It’s been one month since California fully reopened from COVID-19 restrictions, with freeway traffic and packed restaurants now fairly common around Los Angeles. But there’s troubling data looming, as the state's (and country’s) most populous county has recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for the fifth consecutive day, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Health officials blame the uptick on the unvaccinated, who they say are driving the current surge, while the highly contagious Delta variant also plays a factor. The Times compiled data that indicates a 250 percent increase from two weeks ago.

County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl gave some harsh words for those refusing to get unvaccinated. “It just strikes me as enormously selfish. We can’t rely on herd immunity if the herd won’t get their shots,” says Kuehl.

In other news:

• LA food writers Patricia Escárcega, L.A. Taco editor Javier Cabral, Compound Butter editor-in-chief Jessie Nicely, and documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville considered local restaurants that the late Anthony Bourdain would’ve loved. There are classic spots like Hawkins House of Burgers and the year-old Petite Peso on KCET’s list.
• The Wall Street Journal is looking forward to the September opening of Yangban Society.
• A Brown Table cookbook author Nik Sharma put together a guide on Los Angeles dining for Bon Appétit.
• Loupiotte Kitchen celebrated France’s Bastille Day yesterday, and there’s a mini-profile in Los Angeles Magazine for the cozy Los Feliz restaurant.
• Street vending is one of LA’s most complex issues, and Zocalo Public Square has some ideas on how to solve it.
• Dezeen magazine assessed six of the best-designed dining rooms in California, with five Southern California restaurants making the list, including Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, Bavel, and, interestingly, the shuttered Auburn.
• Here’s another report in the LA Times that finds there’s a California versus Florida race over tourism dollars. Apparently, Florida is winning.
• Burgerlords is launching a brand new menu to commemorate a full year of going plant-based. Those vegan patties are house-made, without a single Beyond or Impossible burger on the premises. Peep the options below.

Courtesy of Burgerlords

• COVID-19 cases surge in L.A. County, fueled by ‘enormously selfish’ unvaccinated [ELA]