COVID Vaccination Appointments Available At Super Sites Around LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are available this week at the county's five large coronavirus vaccination centers at Magic Mountain, the Pomona Fairplex, Cal State Northridge, the Forum in Inglewood, and the County Office of Education in Downey, Los Angeles County officials said Sunday.

Residents who receive their first dose of the vaccine at a county-run large capacity vaccination site will be provided the date and location to receive their second dose, and automatically registered for their second dose appointment. They will also get email reminders.

"We are seeing a decline in hospitalizations and several other indicators we track, including test positivity rate, percentage of emergency department visits associated with COVID-19, and percentage of respiratory specimens positive for COVID at sentinel laboratory surveillance sites," said Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Officials have been urging patience among residents anxious to get a COVID-19 vaccination, with supplies remaining woefully short and the overburdened online reservation system leaving many people frustrated as they try to schedule appointments.

"However, despite these promising trends, I do want to emphasize that the numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths remain far too high," he said. "So while there's reason to be hopeful, we all must remain vigilant and continue to be disciplined, wearing masks, physically distancing when outside the home, avoiding gatherings, and washing our hands frequently."

Simon said the five sites -- each capable of administering 4,000 shots per day -- will be operating at much lower capacity this week, likely in the 2,000 to 2,500 range.

The county expects to receive about 143,900 more doses of vaccine this week. But the bulk of the vaccines coming this week will be used to administer second doses to people who already have received the first shot. This is because people need to receive two doses of the medication spaced three to four weeks apart.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer estimated earlier that only 37,900 of the new doses will be available for people to receive their first dose.

Appointments can be booked here.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)