Ralphs cancels COVID-19 vaccine appointments after L.A. County re-allocates shots

Syringes filled with a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine await to be administered at the Kedren Community Health Center on Jan. 25, 2021, in Los Angeles. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Jan 28, 2021 / 07:21 PM PST

Updated: Jan 28, 2021 / 07:21 PM PST

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Some L.A. County residents who were scheduled to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine shot will have to wait longer after officials pulled back some doses allocated for Ralphs pharmacies.

The L.A. County Health Department, acting at the request of the California Department of Public Health, has “recovered” 10,000 doses from Ralphs pharmacies that were intended for upcoming appointments, officials with the supermarket chain said.

The doses will be used instead to support the county’s “mega-PODS,” or mass vaccination sites. Residents with appointments were notified of the change via phone calls and emails Thursday.

The situation underscores the serious lack of vaccine availability as the county tries to get healthcare workers, first responders and people 65 and older inoculated. With so many people now needing their second dose, there is less vaccine available for those seeking their first dose.

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