County Of L.A. Public Health - Update 2/24/20 - Announcing Coronavirus Vaccine Eligibility For Phase 1B Tier 1

Press release from the Venice Chamber of Commerce:

February 24, 2021

Latest updates: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
2/24/21

Los Angeles County will offer COVID-19 Vaccines for workers in the following sectors on March 1.

• Food and Agriculture
• Education and Childcare
• Emergency Services and First Responders

With very limited vaccine supply and uncertainty on timing for increased production, a realistic and carefully developed plan for expanding vaccination availability to these additional sectors is being executed. We appreciate your patience as we roll out this next phase.

Registration is required for a vaccine appointment. Please prepare to show proof of identification, and proof of employment in a qualifying sector within Los Angeles County. Registration and a list of eligible identification is available at vaccinatelacounty.com. Vaccinations are free and providing immigration status is not required.

Food & Agriculture

Department of Public Health plans to partner with employers and employee organizations along with trusted sources for these groups, like unions, workplace leaders, community leaders and community-based organizations.

Those who are eligible in this category:

• Food service workers
• Food manufacturing
• Grocery store workers
• Grocery store workers (without pharmacies)
• Animal agriculture workers including those involved in Vet health
• Veterinarians
• Food and Agriculture-associated Port and transportation workers

Education & Childcare

Many school districts have partnerships and capacity to create their own PODs to vaccinate their workforce. Independent and parochial schools will be partnering either with their school districts or will have reserved appointments at county PODs for their workforce.

Those who are eligible in this category:

• Teachers (K-12, Preschool)
• Support staff (K-12, Preschool)
• Childcare
• Independent Schools
• Junior Colleges
• Colleges & Universities

Emergency Services & First Responders

For the Emergency Services and First Responders sector, agencies, including the courts and correctional facilities, will be partnering with fire departments, police departments, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Health Services and local hospitals to vaccinate their workforce.

Those who are eligible in this category:

• Police/law enforcement officers
• Emergency Management, Search and Rescue, Emergency and public safety communication centers, EOCs
• National Security
• Maritime and Aviation Response (TSA)
• Corrections officers and workers
• Courts/Legal Counsel & Prosecution
• Campus and school police
• Rehabilitation and Re-entry
• Federal law enforcement agencies
• Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers
• Security staff to maintain building access control and physical security measures
• DCFS, APS (workers physically responding to abuse and neglect of children, elderly and dependent adults)

Nearly 400 sites in L.A. County are administering the vaccines, including federally qualified health clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, and large capacity vaccination sites.

Check VaccinateLACounty.com or follow @LAPublicHealth on social media for more information on when and where people in these sectors can get vaccinated.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
• California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html
• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

______________
1/11/21

Latest Updates

Vaccines continue being administered in Los Angeles County. As of late last week, we had received a total of 275,795 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 100,556 doses have been administered to our frontline health care workers at our acute care hospitals. We also have begun to administer the 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine and as of yesterday, 1,602 healthcare workers are fully vaccinated.

We have received 215,200 Moderna doses, of which 31,915 had been administered to staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities, EMTs and paramedics, and to healthcare workers at clinics. This includes healthcare workers at urgent care and primary care clinics, at intermediate and home health care facilities and services, as well as healthcare field workers who face a high risk of exposure. At this point, we have administered 32% of the vaccines we have received as first doses.

Now that the holidays are behind us, the pace of vaccinations is picking up as we expand the number of people trained to administer these vaccines and we continue to open additional locations to administer vaccines to priority group healthcare workers who don’t work at acute care hospitals.

This week, additional vaccination sites will be opening across the county for frontline healthcare workers with appointments. Healthcare workers include clinical staff such as doctors, nurses, and therapists as well as people who work in other areas like laboratories and hospital environmental services. Currently, vaccination is only available to the healthcare workers who have direct or indirect contact with patients or infectious materials. Eligible healthcare workers can sign up for an appointment, and find out what verifications are needed, by going to Healthcare worker signup website.

PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER FOR AN APPOINTMENT IF YOU ARE NOT A PRIORITY GROUP HEALTHCARE WORKER. Doing so will take an appointment slot away from the high-risk healthcare workers.

People who ARE NOT an eligible healthcare worker WILL BE TURNED AWAY at the vaccination site if you don’t have the required verification documents, which include the below.

Vaccination Distribution Phases

Many people are interested in getting vaccinated. However, Public Health is proceeding with administering vaccinations within the priority groups identified by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), with additional guidance provided by the state. We understand that some people may feel they should be or are in these priority groups. However, there are clear definitions that we have posted on our website with very specific groups according to the priority tiers.

Note that these timelines are estimates and may change according to factors such as vaccine supply and the state prioritization requirements. Phases and tiers will also overlap.

*Proposed but not voted on by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and may be modified by CDC and/or CDPH

In the meantime, please continue to wear a face covering over your nose and mouth, physically distance, and avoid gathering with people outside your household, even after you are vaccinated.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
• California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html
• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

This press release was produced by the Venice Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed are the author's own.