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The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to Los Angeles County residents aged 65 and older has been marred by confusion and frustration.
On Tuesday, older residents began signing up for appointments. But the process got off to a rocky start, and it will take time to vaccinate everyone in this group.
Here’s what we know now:
1. The basics
Residents 65 and over can sign up for an appointment on the county public health department’s website, vaccinatelacounty.com. Residents without access to a computer can call (833) 540-0473 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. for assistance with reservations.
The City of Los Angeles also offers the vaccine to anyone in Los Angeles County who is 65 years of age or older, via another online portal. This website connects patients to sites such as Dodger Stadium, San Fernando Recreation Park, Lincoln Park, Hansen Dam, and Crenshaw Christian Center.
Residents of Orange County can register using the Othena app. Information for residents of Riverside County can be found at the Riverside University Health System, while residents of San Bernardino County can find information on vaccines on the county’s website. Ventura County offers vaccines to residents 75 years of age and older, who can book appointments online.
2. Getting through was a challenge
Many who tried to reach the LA County call center on Tuesday afternoon to make an appointment reported that their calls were disconnected after reading recorded prompts in English and Spanish. Residents said websites to register have repeatedly collapsed and the language saying only healthcare workers can get vaccinated was confusing.
“VaccinateLACounty.comThe reservation system is tied to the state of California system, which crashed for several hours on Tuesday afternoon, ”the county said in a tweet Tuesday night. “Thousands of people have nonetheless been able to schedule vaccination appointments and currently there are no more appointment slots available on county sites.
The county will add more workers to its call center, which has also been overwhelmed, and likely add more appointment hours for vaccines later this week.
3. Supplies are limited
It will take time to vaccinate LA County’s 1.3 million people in the 65 and over age group, especially as vaccine stocks are still limited.
Officials do not anticipate a significant increase in the amount of COVID-19 vaccines the county receives in its weekly allowance in the near future, said Dr Seira Kurian, director of the county health department’s medical affairs division. of the.
Kurian said officials originally believed the federal government had a supply of vaccine that would be delivered to counties to boost supply when municipalities began administering second doses.
“But since it is not known how much, if any, of these supplies are available, what will probably happen is that we probably won’t see a huge increase in the number of doses that come to us each week, but we do. expect to still receive vaccine doses at current rates and levels, at least for the short term [term]Kurian said.
Since December, the county has received 685,000 doses of the vaccine, and more than 70% of those had been administered by the end of last week, according to the Department of Public Health. The county will receive 168,000 additional doses this week.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told a Tuesday afternoon press conference that LA County could run out of doses early next week.
4. Patience is always in order
There are still healthcare workers and first responders who need vaccines, which will slow down the rate at which people 65 and over can receive their doses.
After that, the state set a schedule for the next vaccines:
Phase 1B
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: education, childcare, emergency services and food and agriculture
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: transport and logistics; industrial, commercial, residential and accommodation facilities and services; critical manufacturing
- Bring together environments at risk of epidemics, such as incarcerated people and the homeless
Phase 1C
- Individuals aged 50 to 64
- People aged 16 to 49 who have an underlying health condition or disability that increases their risk of severe COVID-19
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: water and wastewater; defense; energy; chemical and hazardous materials; communications and computing; financial services; government operations and community core functions
The timing for this group remains uncertain.
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