LA's Poor Should Get Priority For Coronavirus Vaccine: Councilman

LOS ANGELES, CA — With a coronavirus vaccine still far off, Los Angeles leaders are tackling the question of who should get first dibs. The potentially lifesaving vaccine should go to those on the front lines and the communities hardest hit by the outbreak, Councilman Herb Wesson said Wednesday. Wesson filed a motion calling for the city to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines for communities of color, high-risk populations, children, homeless people and workers deemed essential, once a vaccine is developed.

Though there doesn't yet exist a vaccine proven to protect against the coronavirus, a challenge facing the world will be to manufacture enough vaccines and distribute them effectively to slow the spread of the outbreak. Although the goal of any vaccine is to immunize everyone who chooses to use it, the initial supply may not be sufficient to accomplish that goal, Wesson said.

"We've honored these essential workers by clapping on our doorsteps and Thunderbird flyovers, but that's not enough," Wesson said. "The systemic economic and racial inequality has become clearer than ever during this crisis. We've seen our country's inequality at play when the testing first began and wealthier communities received access before poorer communities of color."

The motion asks Los Angeles to begin developing guidelines now to ensure vulnerable and high-risk communities have first access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Wesson said some of the city's less-affluent areas have reported eight times the number of people contracting the virus than areas with higher incomes.

If approved, the motion would instruct the Emergency Management Department to work with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to coordinate and develop a vaccination plan.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin