LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Teachers and food and agriculture workers will be part of some 1.2 million Los Angeles County residents who will now be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday.
On February 25, 2021, vehicles passed through the parking lots of Dodger Stadium against vaccines against COVID-19 (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images).
Nursery workers, law enforcement personnel and emergency services workers are also eligible for vaccination. They will join the health workers and those over 65 who have already received the vaccine for several weeks.
However, health officials said these workers will need to be patient as the supply of vaccines remains limited and staff are being trained to ensure that only eligible people are shot.
“Therefore, it will take a considerable amount of time to vaccinate these groups, unless the supply of vaccines increases significantly,” said Dr. Paul Simon, scientific director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We urge public patience as we work on this process as soon as possible.”
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About 700,000 LA County residents over the age of 65 have not yet received their first dose.
The city of Los Angeles expects to receive about 70,000 doses of Modern vaccine on Monday, which will serve primarily second doses at its six mass vaccination sites: San Fernando Park, Hansen Dam, Crenshaw Christian Center, Lincoln Park, Pierce College and Dodger Stadium – when they reopen on Tuesday after closing on Sunday and Monday.
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“Our vaccination program has overcome many challenges, but we have made it clear that nothing will interfere with our mission to deliver this life-saving vaccine to Angelenos as quickly and safely as possible,” Mayor Garcetti said in a statement. Sunday. “Opening eligibility to more groups of essential workers will save more lives and accelerate our recovery. We are encouraged to listen to the commitments of our federal and state partners to get more vaccines and be prepared to expand our operations to end this pandemic. “
All of this week’s second doses are being scheduled automatically for patients who received the first dose at a location in the city between February 1 and 6. Patients will receive a notification with appointment details before Sunday evening.
The city’s mobile sites will also triple their total capacity this week, increasing doses administered to vulnerable communities from 4,000 to 12,000, officials said.
Garcetti’s office also said the city has begun the planning process to integrate the Johnson & Johnson vaccine recently authorized by the FDA into its inventory in the coming weeks. Governor Newsom said Saturday that California could receive up to 380,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week.
On Friday, Simon said LA County-run sites expect to receive a total of 269,000 doses this week, up from 211,000 last week. With the county reserving the most dose range, this week there will be a total of 103,000 first doses available for all three sectors of workers and for people 65 and older.
Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered that 10% of all vaccine supplies received in the state be reserved immediately for teachers, child care workers and other school members. But splitting the educational allocation among the 80 school districts in Los Angeles County will be a weekly challenge.
To address the problem, the county has devised a complex formula to distribute the vaccine equitably. Of the doses allocated to the education sector each week, 9% will automatically go to private schools in the county, reflecting the percentage of students in the county they serve.
The county’s 80 individual school districts – excluding Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments – will be divided into five groups. The remaining available doses will be divided among those groups based on a formula that assesses the factors of overall student enrollment; the percentage of students living in poverty, depending on those eligible for free or reduced-price lunches; COVID case rates in each community; and whether schools have already been offering face-to-face services for students with more needs.
The formula means that LAUSD, the second largest school district in the country, will likely receive approximately 40% of the available doses from the education sector each week.
The state has authorized shots fired from March 15 on anyone 16 years of age or older who has an underlying health condition that puts them at risk for serious illness or death from COVID. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week that it is still unclear whether the county will actually extend eligibility to that group on March 15 due to supply problems.
Below is the full list of Tier 1B groups that are now eligible for the vaccine. For more information or to check your eligibility, click here:
(1) Persons 65 years of age or older
(2) Education and daycare
• Public schools (K-12)
• Independent schools
• Charter schools
• Nursery and early childhood education
• Contracted educational support staff
• Minor schools
• Faculties and universities
(3) Emergency services
• Police officers
• National security
• Correction officers and workers
• Courts / legal counsel and prosecution
• Campus and school police
• Rehabilitation and re-entry
• Federal police agencies
• Police, fire and ambulance dispatchers
• Security personnel to maintain control of access to the building and physical security measures
• DCFS, APS (workers who physically respond to the abuse and neglect of dependent children, the elderly, and adults)
(4) Food and agriculture
• Food service workers
• Food manufacturing workers
• Grocery store workers
• Animal farming workers, including those involved in veterinary health
• Agricultural workers
• Veterinarians
• Port and transport workers related to food and agriculture
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The city’s news service contributed to this report).