Pico Rivera Finalizing Site For COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
PICO RIVERA (CBSLA) — The city of Pico Rivera is working with the LA County Department of Public Health to set up a site to dispense the COVID-19 vaccine when it is approved for public distribution.
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations from Pfizer and Moderna could begin as soon as this weekend, but Pico Rivera city officials say it's not known yet when its Medical Point of Dispensing, or MPOD, will be activated.
"We are ready to move forward as soon as the county gives us the green light," City Manager Steve Carmona said in a statement.
Pico Rivera approved its formal partnership with the county Department of Public Health, but it is one of several cities standing by to assist in the mass distribution of preventive medications during emergency conditions from contagious, infectious, or communicable disease; or chemical, biologic or radioactive agents that threaten the health of the general public, according to officials.
Finalizing a site will require a large open space -- like a park or local sports arena, storage, room for drive-up and walk-up vaccinations, a place for patients to be held to ensure there are no immediate side effects. Patients will also need to be able to come back in 30 days to get an additional dose.
Current city employees would be reassigned to assist in the vaccination distribution effort, and Pico Rivera says it is finalizing the selection of the site where it will be dispensed.
LA County expects the first 83,000 doses to arrive next week and go to nine storage sites, then 83 hospitals.
