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Long Beach Rushed To Vaccinate As Many As Possible. Now It's Short On 2nd Doses

By Lita Martinez
Published Jan 27, 2021 5:07 PM
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Drivers check-in for a COVID-19 vaccination as the Long Beach Convention Center becomes a mass vaccination site in Long Beach Monday, January 19, 2021. (Thomas R. Cordova/ via Long Beach Post)
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Officials in Long Beach say supplies of COVID-19 vaccines are running low. So starting next week, the city will shift gears and prioritize getting second shots to people who have already received their first dose.

The city, which has its own health department, had been a model in vaccination speed. This week, they started giving shots to teachers and staff in the Long Beach Unified School District and at Long Beach City College. Grocery store and food service workers were also getting inoculated.

But now the city faces a much smaller allocation of doses than anticipated.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said Tuesday the city needs about 7,000 doses in the first two weeks of February to cover everyone who needs a second shot, and they only have about 2,500 doses on reserve:

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"We're going to push every lever that we have, and push against the state really, really hard to ensure that we get as much vaccine as possible."

Long Beach residents can sign up to be notified when their turn in the vaccine line comes up via the city's VAXLB website.

Meanwhile, Long Beach allowed outdoor dining to resume and personal care businesses to reopen Tuesday, following the state's decision to lift its regional COVID-19 stay-at-home order.

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