USC’s University Park Campus vaccine center opens
LOS ANGELES - First things first! Eligible Angelenos are being encouraged to take a COVID-19 vaccine at one of the city distribution sites.
There are quite a few City of LA sites for getting a shot from Pierce College to Dodger Stadium. Now, you can add to the list the Flower Street Parking Structure by USC in Exposition Park.
"We’re excited about it," says Ann Lee, the CEO of CORE.
That’s Sean Penn’s nonprofit also responsible for the work at Dodger Stadium to stem the course of the novel coronavirus first through offering testing and then vaccinations.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City of LA getting vaccine doses to hardest hit areas, new site to open at USC
When you look at the Flower Street Parking Lot, you know this is going to be different than Dodger Stadium. Lee says they’ve improved what they’re doing with each new site. This one, though, doesn’t look like a big stadium or a college campus.
This is a parking garage and Lee says it’ll serve a system similar to Dodger Stadium with a drive-through approach. There will also be walkups.
Lee says it’s all about accessibility. LA Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell says it’s in a part of town where cases have been high.
Gorell says, "It’s right in the heart of the city. It’s in close proximity to a lot of transportation and frankly, it's walking distance from some of our most underserved communities."
The city is getting more vaccine doses this week. Part of that is because of a shipment of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Gorell says, "We're going to receive 25,000 Johnson & Johnson this week... and then we’re told we’re not going to receive any more until April. They didn’t explain why."
Gorell says the 25,000 doses coupled with a little more Moderna and Pfizer creates a situation that will allow for those needing first-time shots to get them more easily.
The Deputy Mayor says, "We’re going to be offering this week close to 60,000 first doses. That’s great. That’s fantastic. At USC all of the doses will be first-time doses. It’s a new site. Everyone showing up will be here for the first time. We’ll do about 5,000 all week. That’s about 2,000 a day Tuesday thru Saturday."
Hours at the site are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The parking structure is located at the corner of West Exposition Boulevard and South Figueroa Street. They can handle up to 5,000 people a day but will start with a lower number on the first days of operation.
Meanwhile, Lee says it will meet the three most important criteria of being rapid, equitable and accessible. And, to make the site even more accessible, the city has joined with Uber to provide transportation. City officials say Uber will provide 15,000 rides from South LA to USC for those who qualify. They will also offer another 20,000 at half-price to bring residents to their appointments.
According to the latest numbers from Sunday, the city has administered more than 527,000 doses, officials tell FOX 11.
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