Vaccinations now available to all seniors

Photo by Keith Durflinger

NORWALK – In an effort to slow down surging cases of Covid-19, L.A. County health officials this week authorized vaccinations for all senior citizens ages 65 and older.

Getting an appointment for a vaccination, however, is proving difficult with vaccine doses in limited supply.

A large-scale Covid-19 vaccination operation, capable of vaccinating up to 4,000 people daily, opened Tuesday in Downey, one of five such sites across L.A. County.

The vaccination site is located in the parking lot of L.A. County Office of Education headquarters, 12830 Columbia Way, off Imperial Highway.

Seniors can try to secure a vaccination appointment by calling (833) 540-0473 or by going online to VaccinateLACounty.com.

The vaccine supply is still extremely limited and health officials asked for patience “as we work urgently with our federal and state partners to expand capacity and supply in the weeks ahead.”

Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said at the current rate California is receiving Covid-19 vaccinations, it would take 20-22 weeks to vaccinate all residents ages 65 and older, which is June.

“After an exhausting, year-long battle with this highly contagious and deadly virus, we now have a vaccine that is safe, effective and will save lives,” said L.A. County health director Barbara Ferrer. “The vaccines also do more than protect the person getting vaccinated; the more people in a community who are vaccinated and protected from COVID-19, the harder it is for this virus to spread.

“However, this process will take several months and so we ask for your understanding and patience.”

Skilled Nursing Facilities

Health officials reported this week that 335 of 340 (nearly 99%) of all skilled nursing facilities in LA County received and administered their first doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

Nearly 39,000 doses have been administered to staff and residents.

The remaining facilities are currently vaccinating or are scheduling vaccinations this week. Additionally, for facilities that completed their first doses, Public Health is supporting distribution and administration of their second doses of vaccine.

All skilled nursing facilities in the county conduct weekly testing of residents and staff. For the week of January 2, more than 70,000 Covid-19 tests were completed among staff and residents. A total of 2,532 people tested positive for the virus; 1,423 new cases among residents and 1,109 new cases among staff; this is a positivity rate of just under 4% and significantly lower than the positivity rate among the general public (15%).

The proportion of deaths occurring among residents at skilled nursing facilities has dropped from 50% last summer to under 7% this winter.