Part of Biden administration’s vaccine goal in first 100 days
A COVID-19 mass vaccination site under the Biden administration’s partnership with the state of California is now open at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The site, which is home to the Oakland Athletics, opened for vaccination appointments on Tuesday, February 16 as one of two in the Golden State and the first of 100 planned locations across the country. The vaccination site at California State University, Los Angeles was also launched simultaneously in an event attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other elected officials.
The Oakland and LA sites will be run by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of the new administration’s pledge to vaccinate 100 million Americans during President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.
“These new sites will help us get lifesaving vaccines to some of the California communities most in need,” Newsom said.
Both sites were chosen to help “expand the rate of vaccinations in California in an efficient, effective, and equitable manner, with an explicit focus on making sure that communities with a high risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection are not left behind,” Cal OES said in a statement.
To date, over 6.2 million doses have been administered in California. Statewide, about 13% of Asian Americans have been inoculated, according to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard.
“We recognize we have more work to do. The issue at the end of the day is supply. We need to manufacture more Moderna vaccine, more Pfizer vaccine,” Newsom said during the press conference on Tuesday in LA.
Both Cal State LA and Oakland Coliseum are expected to administer 6,000 doses a day and will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to accommodate drive-thru and walk-up appointments.
They will each have two mobile vaccination clinics that can go into the communities and serve eligible individuals directly.
The opening of the two sites is additive to current vaccinations capacity in the state and does not affect existing allocation of vaccine supplies to other cities or counties.
The AC Transit announced that it will be offering fare-free shuttles from Eastmont Transit Center and Coliseum BART station to the Oakland Coliseum, but riders will need to show proof of an appointment before boarding.
Currently, health care workers, long-term care residents and those over the age of 65 are eligible to be inoculated in California. Newsom previously announced that those working in education, child care, emergency services and food and agriculture would be next.
The state on Friday, February 12 said that people 16 to 64 who are disabled or have underlying conditions — such as cancer or heart failure — putting them at high risk for COVID-19 could receive vaccines by March.
Appointments for Oakland Coliseum (as well as Cal State LA) are available on the state’s MyTurn website (https://myturn.ca.gov) or by calling (833) 422-4255. Residents can also use the website to check their eligibility for vaccination and sign up for notifications when it’s their turn.
