Region surpasses grim milestone of 18,000 deaths
INDIVIDUALS who are ready for their second coronavirus vaccination will be prioritized in Los Angeles County this week while supplies remain scarce.
County residents can only secure appointments to receive their second doses at the county-operated sites, starting Tuesday, February 9.
The sites include the Pomona Fairplex, the Forum in Inglewood, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, County Office of Education in Downey, Cal State University Northridge, Balboa Sports Complex in Encino and El Sereno.
Individuals should have received emails confirming their second dose appointment, and they will have to show proof of their vaccine record when they arrive.
While this applies to the seven mega sites, other city/county-run locations like Dodger Stadium will be administering first doses, but they may be facing short supplies as well.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two doses given three weeks (21 days) apart, while the Moderna vaccine requires them to be four weeks (28 days) apart.
Frontline health care workers, staff at long-term care facilities and residents 65 and older have been prioritized in the initial shipments of the vaccine.
As of Feb. 4, 17.9% of Asian residents in the county have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 25% of doses were administered to white residents and 25% to Hispanic residents, according to the County Department of Public Health. However, vaccination rates for communities like the African American/Black community (3.5%) remain low.
“This data is useful because it helps us reallocate supplies, including additional outreach and educational resources to ensure…there’s an equitable distribution of the vaccine,” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a press briefing on Monday, Feb. 8.
Residents can visit www.VaccinateLACounty.com, and to find the vaccination site closest to you, click on the MyTurn button where you can see how appointments are made. The MyTurn site also allows you to sign up to be notified when appointments open up, and when vaccinations begin with additional priority groups.
Though officials see improvement in the average number of daily cases and hospitalizations, the county on Sunday, Feb. 7 surpassed another grim milestone of over 18,000 deaths.
The county has experienced more than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths since February 2, when the region reported 17,057 total deaths.
As of press time, 1,152,239 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported across all areas of LA County and a total of 18,360 deaths.
With the upcoming holiday weekend marking Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day, officials are continuing to urge residents to follow public health measures and help slow the spread.
