LA County To Open Up COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments For People Over 65

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis issued an executive order Monday evening directing the Department of Public Health to make COVID-19 vaccine appointments available to county residents 65 and older starting Thursday — and the county later said signups could start as soon as Tuesday.

Until now, appointments were only open to nursing home staff and residents, frontline health care workers, and first responders.

“The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been an enormous undertaking, especially during an unprecedented surge where cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to skyrocket,” Solis said in a statement.

“However, if we are to ever get out of this dark winter, it is critical that we make headway vaccinating people 65 years of age and older as soon as possible — in line with Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommendations.”

What does the executive order mean for L.A. County residents?

• People 65 and older will be able to begin scheduling vaccine appointments with the Department of Public Health starting Tuesday, Jan. 19. The first appointments will be Wednesday. Jan. 20.

• A website and call center to make appointments has been announced.
• The executive order must be ratified by the Board of Supervisors the following Tuesday, at the first regularly scheduled meeting -- but it still goes into effect now.

What about the bottleneck of supply and distribution that has caused problems for the vaccine rollout in L.A. County so far? It’s unclear how that will affect the availability of appointments. But county leaders say they’re confident L.A. will get new supplies soon, and expect the vaccine rollout to improve with the incoming Biden administration in the White House.

How can people 65 and older make appointments? The L.A. County Department of Public Health plans to release information with details Tuesday. The department also plans to hold a town hall to field vaccine questions which can be watched on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.

This story was updated Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 3:10 p.m. with updated dates and links.

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