Updated, late morning of April 8:
Officials are turning away those seeking vaccines at the Cal State L.A. vaccine site on Thursday, after originally saying all adults were welcome due to an oversupply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Many showed up to try to get vaccinated, but were being told to instead make an appointment.
Officials said it’s possible those who come without an appointment may be able to get vaccinated later Thursday evening, but it’s better to aim for Friday or over the weekend.
A spokesman for the the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which is running the site through the weekend, said on Wednesday that people can register for appointments at the state’s myturn.ca.gov site or by calling 833-422-4255.
Those eligible for appointments include people 50 and older, some essential workers, and those with certain health conditions. All Californias 16 and older will be eligible starting April 15.
Read an updated story on the Cal State L.A. vaccine site here.
Previous story, last updated 8 a.m.:
Officials urged any eligible person to sign up for immediate COVID-19 vaccinations at the huge California State University, Los Angeles, site because relatively few appointment slots were filled.
“We’re light on appointments for the next several days. We want to finish strong and use up every dose we have,” Greg Renick a spokesman for California’s Office of Emergency Services, told the Los Angeles Daily News on Wednesday.
The Cal State LA site was established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cal OES. The city of Los Angeles will take over its operation next week.
It was unclear why so many slots were open at the site, which is offering the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Daily News said.
The site offers drive-thru, walk up and mobile vaccine options.
The Cal State LA site and another one in Oakland were announced as pilot projects by the Biden administration in February.
Cal OES said that as of Monday, the two sites had administered nearly 625,000 vaccines, including thousands delivered to communities by mobile clinics.
California has surpassed 20 million total vaccinations, the governor’s office announced this week.