After a significant period of being overwhelmed with vaccine shortage, Los Angeles County is finally ready to innoculate a new segment of its brimming population: non-medical first responders and essential workers.
This effort known as Phase 1B Tier 1, will begin on March 1. According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Email Newsletter, the county will vaccinate employees belonging to the sectors of food and agriculture, education and childcare, emergency services and first responders.
Angelenos have to register to get vaccinated. The shots are free and “providing immigration status is not required”, said the newsletter. Registration and the list of eligible identification documents can be found here.
School staff is a critical section included in the new line-up. It points to the county’s efforts to reopen schools and set the ball slowly rolling to meet some semblance of pre-COVID life. On February 17, Los Angeles Unified introduced its first school-based vaccination center at the Roybal Learning Center. This week, Superintendent Austin Beutner announced that 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered there to eligible school staff aged 65 and older.
Teachers and support staff working in preschools and kindergarten to the 12th grade are included in the new vaccination rounds. Staff involved in childcare, independent schools, junior colleges, other colleges, and universities, are also eligible. Beutner’s goal of reopening preschools and elementary schools no later than April 9 could be achieved if these individuals receive their shots in a timely manner. He stated in his weekly school updates that 25,000 staff need to be vaccinated for proper reopening to take place.
Many other groups are also eligible for new shots. They include food service workers, grocery store workers, police and law enforcement officers, and those working in courts and legal counsel. The full list is available via the newsletter. “Nearly 400 sites in LA County are administering the vaccines, including federally qualified health clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, and large capacity vaccination sites,” it stated.
Sign up for the vaccine newsletter here to be notified about eligibility.
