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All LA City Firefighters Have Been Offered The Vaccine; About 60% Have Accepted It
LAFD Trucks parked inside the COVID-19 testing site at Dodger Stadium. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
On Jan. 8, we reported that only about 48% of the LAFD's 3,400 sworn members had received the vaccine, despite being offered some of the first spots in line.
Now, over two weeks later, that number has gone up to about 60%. LAFD's Public Information Officer Erik Scott says as of Friday, 2,027 of the department's members have been vaccinated, of 3,400. That's approximately 59.6%.
Scott said this in early Jan.: “The LAFD is a reflection of society at large – most want the vaccine for obvious reasons, and some are hesitant for a variety of reasons.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday at a press conference that he's heard from firefighters that more are choosing to get the vaccine after seeing their colleagues get it, with no negative side effects:
"I think there were some people who were waiting for that first round to go and we expect that to be a steady trickle, that we'll continue to get those numbers up to two-thirds or three-quarters [of all LA firefighters]... three quarters is the magic number that the county is pushing for."
But Garcetti is encouraging all LAFD members to get their shot:
"I would just encourage every single firefighter, follow your union chief, follow your chief, [follow] their example, and get the vaccine. You're at that front of the line. You should. And we encourage you to do that."
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READ MORE ABOUT VACCINES:
- Most LA County Adults Could Be Vaccinated By This Summer — If We Double The Pace
- Long Lines For Vaccinations At Dodger Stadium May Be Getting Shorter
- At This Rate, California Won't Finish Vaccinating 65+ Until June
- Here's Why Getting A Coronavirus Vaccine In LA County Is So Hard
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