- A mass vaccination center at Dodger Stadium went on strike shortly after Saturday after protesters turned up.
- The protesters included people from anti-vaccine and right-wing groups.
- People in the queue for vaccinations have been waiting for hours before the disruption.
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A COVID-19 mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles was temporarily halted Saturday after protesters gathered near the entrance.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the protesters included people from anti-vaccine and far-right groups. A reporter from the Beverly Hills Courier said there were about 40 protesters. No incidents of violence were reported.
Officials told the Times that the Los Angeles Fire Department closed the gate around 2 p.m. as a precaution, but it reopened about an hour later.
The Los Angeles Police Department said all scheduled vaccinations would take place.
On photos and videos shared on Twitter, protesters carried signs who said, “COVID = SCAM,” “I just like mules in the bedroom,” and “Tell Bill Gates to get vaccinated.”
Bill Gates says he was vaccinated.
Read more: Planned Parenthood offers Biden help in the campaign against misinformation against the coronavirus vaccine: ‘It’s all on deck.’
—Samuel Braslow (@SamBraslow) 30 January 2021
People in a long line of cars hoping to get the vaccine have been waiting for hours before the disruption, reports the Times. The protesters could also be seen in videos trying to hand out leaflets to the people and talk over a megaphone about the vaccine.
Despite some Americans worrying about vaccines, the two coronavirus vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. have not expressed much concern about safety during large clinical trials conducted with different groups of volunteers. Experts said anti-vaccination groups could delay the end of the pandemic.
Dodger Stadium has been serving as a COVID-19 test site since May and was recently transformed into the city’s first mass vaccination center. It is one of the largest vaccination sites in the US and can vaccinate about 12,000 people a day.