In the first major expansion of the vaccine eligibility list, Los Angeles County announced on Monday that all healthcare industry workers can now receive vaccinations, including staffers at urgent and primary care clinics, research laboratories, pharmacies and dentist offices.
The announcement follows last week’s guidance from the state and opens up the eligibility list from the highest priority group. That pool includes healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes that deal directly with infected or high-risk patients. Officials expanded the list to speed up the vaccine rollout and ensure that leftover vaccine doses are not wasted.
By the end of the month, the county plans to vaccinate 500,000 more healthcare workers. To handle the surge, officials this week announced five additional vaccine distribution sites across the county, starting next Tuesday. In addition, Los Angeles said Sunday that Dodger Stadium, would also be open for vaccinations. The baseball venue had been the largest coronavirus testing site in the country before transitioning to a vaccine site this week.
“We anticipate, at minimum, every site will be open seven days a week and has the capacity to vaccinate 4,000 to 5,000 people each day,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said, in reference to the county-run sites. The sites will be open for at least four weeks.
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