LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – Orange County and the city of Long Beach announced Tuesday that they will immediately begin offering the COVID-19 vaccine to older California residents.
Long Beach health officials said residents 75 and older will be able to get the vaccine starting Saturday, with weekly clinics for people in that age group.
OC officials announced that they will immediately begin offering vaccines to people 65 and older.
“COVID-19 is literally everywhere,” said Dr. Jim Keany of Mission Hospital. “Right now, Orange County has a 17% positive test rate. So that means almost one in five people who pass have COVID. “
Some jurisdictions in Southern California are moving forward with more availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Dodger Stadium and other places in the state have been used to serve as mass vaccination sites.
The news comes when the OC Health Agency reported 28 more deaths from COVID-19 and 3,258 new cases, bringing the death toll to 2,148 and the cumulative count of cases to 195,685.
The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus decreased from 2,221 Monday to 2,200 Tuesday. The number of patients in intensive care dropped from a record 544 on Monday to 535.
In a virtual briefing Tuesday, California Secretary of Health Dr. Mark Ghaly said officials are reviewing new federal government guidelines that encourage states to re-evaluate COVID-19 vaccine distribution priorities.
While some reports said some people are hesitant to get vaccinated, others are pushing to get shots fired more quickly. On Monday, leaders of the International Union of Lakes and Local Warehouses representing workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach sent a letter to county health officials and the governor, asking them to be eligible for vaccines in the United States. beginning of phase 1B.
ILWU claimed that eight union members have died from the virus since early December and, in the first week of January, 54 more positive cases have been confirmed among workers.
“It is thanks to the hard work of our members that the cargo moves efficiently through the port complex of San Pedro Bay,” ILWU wrote. “This, in turn, keeps store shelves with the food, merchandise, and personal protective equipment that millions of Americans need while protecting themselves in their place or caring for those who suffer the effects of COVID-19. While we are proud to be essential, we refuse to ignore it as this virus sinks. ”
Despite nearly 2.5 million doses of vaccine being distributed in California, approximately 784,000 shots had been administered as of this past weekend, Newsom said Monday.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The city’s news service contributed to this report).