Another Week Of Limited Doses For LA County As COVID Vaccine Supply Struggles Continue
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The coronavirus vaccine supply issues that have plagued the densest county in the United States continue this week.
Los Angeles County-run sites are only expected to receive about 280,000 doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines this week, officials announced Friday. The county normally received anywhere from 300,000 to 350,000 doses. The county has the capability of administering up to 630,000 doses per week.
"We're grateful that we have so many people interested in getting vaccinated," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said. "We just are anxious for us to get to the time and place where we have ample vaccine."
However, that low number will be augmented by supplies sent directly to some providers — such as the federally operated site at Cal State L.A. — and could increase even more if the AstraZeneca vaccine gets federally emergency use authorization.
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Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the L.A. County Public Health Department, said Friday that given the progress already being made in vaccinations, if supplies dramatically increase by late April or early May the county could move rather quickly through the rest of the population.
"To ensure we are prepared for this increase, we have begun planning with our vaccine provider network to expand countywide vaccination capacity to more than 1 million doses per week," Simon said. "Recently, President Biden made the announcement of opening up vaccinations to everyone over the age of 16 by May 1. We look forward (to working) with the state to meet this goal."
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The city of L.A., meanwhile, announced Sunday that it will administer about 70,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this coming week at its seven large-scale city-run vaccination sites, which includes Dodger Stadium, and eight mobile sites.
The city said it will have about 50,000 first-dose appointments available and 20,000 second-dose appointments. That breaks down into 50,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, 20,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 2,000 of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Last week, the city administered about 73,000 doses. The city has administered over 684,000 doses overall.
As of March 17, L.A. County as a whole had administered 3.23 million doses, including 1.05 million second-doses.
Meanwhile, a new COVID-19 site is opening at the Bell Community Center in Southeast L.A. Monday. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis was set to be on hand for the soft launch of the site, which will be co-run by nonprofit John Wesley County Hospital Institute.
To find out if you are eligible to be vaccinated and to make an appointment, click here.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
