Tens Of Thousands More Doses Of COVID Vaccine Coming To LA This Week
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – California is expected to receive about 900,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine this week, with about 165,000 of that going to Los Angeles County.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday the state expects to receive 672,000 doses of the newly approved Moderna vaccine this week. The state also expects to receive 233,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Los Angeles County expects to receive 48,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, along with 116,600 doses of the just-approved Moderna vaccine.
The first Pfizer vaccines were administered in California on Dec. 14. L.A. County received 82,873 doses of the Pfizer vaccine last week.
The Moderna vaccine arriving this week will be distributed to 338 L.A. County nursing homes, where approximately 70,000 residents and healthcare workers will be vaccinated, the public health department said.
The Moderna vaccine will also be used to vaccinate 16,000 paramedics and emergency medical technicians in L.A. County, along with about 300 healthcare workers who are actually administering the vaccines.
Currently, California is in Phase 1A of its COVID-19 distribution plan, which includes paid and unpaid healthcare workers as well as residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said Monday that about 23,000 health care workers in the county have already been vaccinated with the initial allotment of Pfizer vaccine from last week. She said about 506,000 frontline health care workers are in line to be vaccinated.
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Once those groups have been vaccinated, priority will move to intermediate care and home health care workers, community health workers, public health field staff and workers at primary care, correctional facility and urgent care clinics. Lab technicians, dental workers and pharmacy staff will be up next.
After that, L.A. County will move into Phase 1B of the vaccination plan, which includes people aged 75 and older and essential workers, including teachers, firefighters, police officers, grocery store workers, day care workers, manufacturing workers, correctional staff, postal workers, public transit and food and agriculture workers.
Next will be Phase 1C, which includes people 65 and older, along with people 16 and older who have significant underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness.
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(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
