Angelenos Head For Bakersfield, Where COVID-19 Vaccinations Are Plentiful For Walk-Ins Over 16

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — People under 50 seeking a COVID-19 vaccine are getting out of Los Angeles and heading for Bakersfield.

A vaccination supersite at Cal State University Bakersfield has opened eligibility to everyone 16 years and older and is taking walk-ins – even from outside of Kern County. Nurses at the site say they have the capacity to administer 5,000 doses a day but are seeing fewer than 1,000 people daily.

"Pretty much everybody I saw today was an Angeleno," said Nick Haley, a Los Feliz resident. "They asked us in that room, it was about forty people, and they were like, 'Is anybody from Bakersfield?' and everybody said no."

"Star Trek" actor Wil Wheaton was one of the Angelenos who took advantage of the surplus of vaccine supplies in Bakersfield recently.

"There's hardly anyone here. It's not a bad drive, and the entire process was simple and streamlined," Wheaton wrote in a Facebook post. "If you are able to make the drive and haven't yet been jabbed, it's a great option. It's so quick and easy, and you aren't jumping the line, or taking a jab away from someone."

Vaccinations at the site are being administered by health care professionals from Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health Hospitals, Adventist Health, CSU Bakersfield, the Kern Community Foundation, and Hall Ambulance.

"I live with an older family so it was just really important for me to get it taken care of so I saw the opportunity and I said yeah," said Gary Lee, an Irvine resident.

Appointments can be made at the state's MyTurn website. People are being asked to bring a photo ID, and anyone under 18 must bring a guardian. Vaccinations are free.

However, for those who are unable to make the 90-minute drive to Bakersfield, vaccination eligibility opens up for all people 16 and older statewide on April 15.

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• COVID-19 Vaccine