LA city sites adding more 1st-dose vaccination appointments this week, mayor says

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Los Angeles city vaccination sites will ramp up first-dose appointments this week, administering a total of 88,000 shots across seven permanent locations and eight mobile clinics, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday.

"Vaccines are our ticket to ending the pandemic, saving lives, rebuilding our communities, and delivering hope for a healthier future,'' Garcetti said. "We still have a long way to go to safely and swiftly vaccinate as many Angelenos as possible -- and a larger, steadier supply of doses this week means we can bring relief to more seniors, frontline and essential workers, and anyone eligible to receive a vaccine in our city.''

Last week, Garcetti said Los Angeles surpassed a half-million doses administered at city-run sites, and this week's expected supply will enable those sites to offer nearly 68,000 first dose appointments, along with 20,000 second dose appointments.

Shipments include 54,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 25,000 from Johnson & Johnson, distributed across locations at San Fernando Park, Hansen Dam, Crenshaw Christian Center, Lincoln Park, Pierce College, USC University Park and Dodger Stadium.

This week's Johnson & Johnson delivery is exceptional, as officials do not expect to receive more of that vaccine for a few weeks. Additionally, the city expects that the supply of all vaccines will be lower in future weeks, at least until April.

Meanwhile, L.A. County is also expected to get a major boost in the vaccine effort as it is set to receive its largest shipment of doses so far. The county is expected to receive a shipment of 312,000 doses, 62% of which will go to residents getting their first dose.

Of that shipment, about 54,000 doses will be Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine that officials hope will help push the region forward in getting residents vaccinated quicker.

In terms of the city of L.A., another delivery of 7,000 doses from Pfizer will be administered through the city's Mobile Outreach for Vaccine Equity program. This week, officials will add an additional mobile unit to the rotation for a total of eight teams, which will serve vulnerable communities across Los Angeles, including South L.A., East L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, in neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights, Green Meadows, Sylmar, Arleta, and Glassell Park.

Officials said the MOVE program has administered over 16,000 doses since its launch, with over 90% of those vaccinated being people of color.

This week will also mark the opening of the city's latest vaccination center at USC's University Park campus. City sites will remain open from Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of Dodger Stadium, which will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the rest of the week.

City sites will offer second-dose appointments this week for Angelenos who received their first dose at a city site between Feb. 8 and Feb. 15. Los Angeles has now started auto-booking second dose appointments weeks ahead for anyone who received their first dose at a city site.

Patients should note that the date stamped on the CDC vaccination cards received after their first dose is not an appointment confirmation. Instead, everyone should adhere to the appointment details provided by Carbon Health via email and/or text. First dose appointments are available online here.