Los Angeles opens COVID-19 vaccine appointments to residents 16 and older
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles has opened up COVID-19 vaccine appointments to all residents who are 16 and older.
On Saturday, the city's website for COVID-19 vaccine registration showed an option for people 16 and older to book an appointment. Vaccinations for that group at city-run vaccination sites will start on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mayor Eric Garcetti's office said all three vaccines will be available to people 18 years and older, with the Pfizer vaccine authorized for those aged 16 and 17.
"We continue to receive a limited supply of vaccines, and when we receive greater supply in the weeks ahead, the City will be ready to administer even more vaccines quickly and safely," the statement read.
This week, L.A. is expected to receive nearly 60,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 56,000 Pfizer shots, and still has about 15,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson in its supply, according to the mayor's office. In total, officials say city vaccination sites will be able to administer more than 130,000 doses to Angelenos - including about 60,000 first dose appointments and 70,000 second doses - across nine permanent sites and through the city's Mobile Outreach for Vaccine Equity program.
The change to the city's website comes a few days before California is set to officially expand vaccine eligibility to residents in that age group.
Statewide eligibility currently allows people 50 and older to get a vaccine appointment. California residents 16 and older are set to officially become eligible on April 15, but other local municipalities have opted to open it earlier, including Long Beach.
