Large-scale vaccination sites operated by Los Angeles County began offering walk-in vaccinations Thursday, and walk-in vaccinations will continue through Monday or while vaccine supplies are depleted.
The vaccines are open to anyone over the age of 16, but teens 16 or 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Drop-in vaccines are available at:
- Palmdale Oasis Recreation Center, 3850 E. Avenue S;
- The Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood;
- Balboa Sports Complex, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino;
- Colegio de los Cañones, Blvd. Valencia 25000, Santa Clarita;
- Cal State Northridge, 18343 Plummer St .;
- Eugene Obregon Park, 4021 E. First St., Los Angeles;
- Pomona Fairplex, 2370 E. Arrow Highway, puerta 15; y
- Los Angeles County Office of Education, 12830 Columbia Way, Downey.
County officials have insisted in recent weeks that the demand for vaccines remains high, and that appointments on many sites fill up quickly. But the offer of walk-ins seems to indicate more supply than demand.
The county announced Wednesday that it would offer walk-in vaccinations at two other smaller locations at the Palmdale and Lancaster Metrolink stations for the remainder of the week. Those places can only provide vaccines to people 18 years of age and older, as only Pfizer vaccines are approved for 16 and 17 year olds.
Public health officials urge all eligible individuals to receive a vaccine, including individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19.
“Although transmission has slowed down in Los Angeles County, people are still dying every day from COVID-19,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “If you are not vaccinated, your chances of dying from COVID-19 are about 1 in 500. If you are vaccinated, your chances of dying from COVID-19 are less than 1 in a million.”
“The more people are vaccinated, the fewer deaths we will suffer. Even if you had COVID-19 and recovered, you still need to get vaccinated for more complete and long-lasting protection, ”she said.
The county reported another 38 deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 23,736.
The county reported an additional 439 COVID-19 cases, while Long Beach health officials announced 35 cases and Pasadena added one, bringing the cumulative number for the entire pandemic to 1,230,398.
According to state figures, there were 451 people hospitalized in Los Angeles County due to COVID-19, up from 468 on Wednesday. The number of people in intensive care was 109, up from 111 on Wednesday.
Ferrer said Wednesday that he believes that approximately 80% of Los Angeles County residents will have to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the area reaches a point of so-called “herd immunity.”
As of Sunday, a total of 6,488,391 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the county, which has a population of about 10 million. However, the number of doses includes people who may work in the county, but who live elsewhere. Of the total doses administered in the county so far, more than 2.3 million were second doses, meaning those people are fully vaccinated.
Ferrer said the county has made great strides in the past 10 weeks to increase vaccinations among Latino, black and other communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. During that time period, the county has seen a 170% increase in the rate of vaccinated black residents 65 and older. Among black residents 16 and older, the rate increased more than 300%.
Among Latino residents, the rate has increased by more than 400% among those 16 and older.
As of April 16, about half of eligible white, Asian, and American Indian / Alaska Native residents in the county had received at least one dose.
However, as the numbers rise, the problem of vaccinating vaccines will become a bigger problem, potentially played out by the sudden availability of vaccines and the announcement of walk-in inoculations at county vaccine sites. .
Hoping to allay fears about the vaccine, Ferrer suggested Wednesday that people examine other, much riskier behaviors that residents regularly engage in.
“For example, the risk of dying during a 200-mile car trip in the state of California is about one in a million,” she said. “And if someone told you they were taking you on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Monterey, you’d probably go. And our chances of getting food poisoning each year is about one in six, but we still feel comfortable eating at a friend’s house or our favorite restaurant. “
“Meanwhile, the risk of having a serious side effect from the COVID-19 vaccine is about one in a million,” she said. “We take these small risks every day as we go through our lives, because we know that what is on the other side is very valuable. Similarly, the return to normalcy on the other side of vaccination is worth it. I hope everyone talks to their family and friends about getting vaccinated as soon as possible. “
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