An email from Mayor Eric Garcetti's Team on January 22, 2021:
This week, I’ve been working long shifts at Dodger Stadium to stand up the largest vaccine distribution site in the United States. Alongside everyday heroes –– firefighters and paramedics, staff from the relief organization CORE, and incredible medical personnel –– I witnessed the hard work ahead of us, but also felt the hope that increases each day. So far, in Los Angeles, we have vaccinated most frontline medical workers and critical emergency personnel, and we have completed vaccinations for all residents and workers in our city’s skilled nursing facilities –– the most vulnerable of our senior residents, who accounted for nearly half of all deaths in Los Angeles in the early months of the pandemic. Here’s the bottom line: we are making real progress, and operations in the city’s five vaccination sites are going smoothly. But vaccine doses remain very limited across the United States, and future doses will rely on incoming supply.
Here are the facts you need to know:
ELIGIBLE NOW: All L.A. residents 65 and older are now eligible for the vaccine in L.A. County, joining healthcare workers, certain essential frontline workers, and residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities on the list of those who can currently get vaccinated. You don’t have to live in the city to come to one of our sites, and if you are a City of L.A. resident, you can go to any L.A. County site as well.
UP NEXT: We’ll begin vaccinating the next eligible group –– workers in education and childcare, emergency services, and food and agriculture –– as soon as the County and State give us the green light. I hope the priority will be given to those workers providing childcare and who can get our schools open for our children, allowing more people to return to work when it is safe. See what phase you'll be in.
BY THE NUMBERS: The City of Los Angeles has vaccinated over 90,000 people at our five city vaccination sites. In the last three days, our centers have provided 34,430 people with life-saving vaccinations –– a 91 percent increase since last week.
VACCINATION SITES: More than 98 locations are currently vaccinating people in L.A. County. Each week, as doses become available, more sites and providers will administer shots. When your turn arrives, you’ll need to make an appointment through the City portal or the County hub and bring your ID to the site. You can also talk with your doctor about the vaccine.
IMPORTANT DETAILS: Both of the vaccines currently being offered in L.A. County (Moderna –– which we currently use at all city sites –– and Pfizer) require two shots; the first shot starts building protection, and the second provides the most immunity the vaccine can offer. It is critical to get both doses. And remember: while COVID continues to spread, keep wearing a mask and maintaining your distance even once you are vaccinated. That’s how you can protect others after you’ve protected yourself.
GET THE LATEST INFORMATION: You can learn when you are eligible to be vaccinated by signing up for email updates from the L.A. County Department of Public Health. When your turn comes, make an appointment. Tell your friends and family to sign up for this newsletter or follow us at @MayorOfLA on Twitter. You can check out our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more.
Our city vaccine distribution plan –– led by the Los Angeles Fire Department –– is solid. Building on the infrastructure of our nation-leading testing program, our capacity to deliver vaccines is strong. But the weeks ahead will be challenging, as we wait for more vaccines to be produced and distributed at the national level. Thank you for your patience while we advocate for L.A.’s fair share and get these shots into more arms more quickly. Each day, we are one step closer to seeing our way out of this crisis –– to saving more lives, reopening more businesses, sending our children back to school, and filling our homes with family and friends once again. Stay healthy and be safe.
Eric Garcetti Your Mayor
P.S. As the COVID-19 crisis continues, so does the City’s sweeping response. To learn more about how we are protecting Angelenos –– through testing, economic relief, and other measures –– visit our website.