LA City to phase out large-scale COVID vaccine sites by Aug. 1
LOS ANGELES - The city of Los Angeles will phase out its large-scale COVID-19 vaccination sites over the next two months, transitioning to fully mobile vaccine clinics by Aug. 1, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday.
"Vaccines are the path to ending this pandemic, and we've worked day and night to get shots into Angelenos' arms at our mass vaccination sites, our mobile clinics, and neighborhoods across our city,'' Garcetti said. "We will always meet and exceed the demand. With a growing number of residents getting inoculated, we are putting our resources where they will do the most good – delivering doses directly to undervaccinated communities, engaging and educating vulnerable populations, and eliminating barriers to this life-saving vaccine.''
Health authorities have been placing increased emphasis on mobile vaccination clinics as demand for the shots has waned, creating less of a need for large-scale vaccine sites. Los Angeles County continues to operate its large-scale sites, but has also bolstered its mobile vaccine efforts.
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The city and county both plan to target mobile vaccination programs in hard-hit communities that have the lowest rates of vaccination -- notably Black and Latino neighborhoods.
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According to Garcetti's office, the city-run large-scale vaccine site at Pierce College in Woodland Hills will close June 19, and the site at Los Angeles Southwest College will close June 26. All other remaining city-operated large-scale sites will close by Aug. 1. The site at Dodger Stadium closed Thursday.
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The city will continue to work with Community Organized Relief Effort, or CORE, co-founded by actor Sean Penn, to administer vaccines in the mobile program.
"CORE remains committed to acting quickly and evolving with the ever-changing state of the pandemic to best serve the community,'' the organization's CEO, Ann Lee, said in a statement. "CORE will continue to work closely with L.A. City, LAFD and our staff to reallocate resources according to the needs of the community, and we will continue to keep our team notified of any changes related to the COVID-19 relief program.''