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After temporarily closing down its coronavirus vaccination sites due to lack of supply, the city of Los Angeles announced Monday that when those sites reopen this week, they will prioritize providing second doses.
“Our City has the tools, the infrastructure, and the determination to vaccinate Angelenos swiftly and safely — we simply need more doses,” Mayor Garcetti said in a statement.
Officials estimate that 4,600 first doses will be available, and offered at the city’s mobile vaccination sites and at Pierce College.
City health officials expect to receive 54,000 doses of Moderna vaccines and 4,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines this week. Five of the city’s six city-operated sites will reopen on Tuesday. Hansen Dam will reopen on Wednesday.
As of Sunday, L.A. County has reported a total of 1,166,538 coronavirus cases and 19,066 deaths. Barbara Ferrer, the county’s director of public health, said that the surge in cases following the 2020 holiday season appeared to be leveling off.
In his statement Monday, Garcetti emphasized the need for more doses.
“Our density and demographics have made our region an epicenter of this crisis in recent months,” he said, “and with a reliable, consistent supply of vaccines, we can get more shots into people’s arms.”
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