LA will finish vaccinations for every resident of a skilled nursing facility by Friday, Garcetti says
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- By the end of Friday, the city of Los Angeles will be finished offering COVID-19 vaccines to all residents of skilled nursing facilities.
Mayor Eric Garcetti made the promising announcement during a Thursday evening press conference at the Dodger Stadium vaccination site, noting that the city's vaccination sites have already inoculated more than 80,000 people.
The mayor said that at the beginning of the pandemic, 45% of coronavirus deaths were among vulnerable residents of those facilities.
"Too many people are still dying, and with more contagious COVID-19 variants taking root that may contribute to why we had such a surge in December, there is no task more urgent than getting this site and other sites like it to continue vaccinating our residents," Garcetti said.
WATCH: Garcetti says LA will finish vaccinations for every resident of a skilled nursing facility by Friday
As the city, L.A. County and California ramp up efforts to distribute the shots, Garcetti said that the demand "far outstrips the supply of vaccines."
He said officials are still waiting to learn when more doses will arrive from the state, federal government and manufacturers.
Efforts are still underway to continue administering doses to health care workers and other first responders, as well as residents 65 and older, a group which just this week became eligible in the county to receive the vaccine.
Garcetti stresses the pace won't stay as is, especially if other COVID-19 vaccines by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which require only one dose, get authorized for use.
However, he admits at the current pace, it would take until June 2022 to vaccinate everyone in L.A. County.
