They have been waiting for months for the COVID-19 vaccine. On Thursday, their turn finally came.
The Los Angeles State Mass Vaccination Center has opened up to any adult in Los Angeles County – a first for the region – and the lines have quickly been drawn with teenage students and young professionals. Some showed up with their dogs, others rode on skateboards or bicycles. Many were with their parents and friends and were eager to finally get some freedom from the pandemic.
“I would like to see my grandmother,” said 18-year-old Aidan Weber, who took the bus from Los Feliz. He also had big plans for an evening of Dungeons and Dragons with friends. ‘We get some chips together, some soft drinks. Eventually I get to see my friends and family. ”
Many of the people who filled out the Cal State LA website would only be eligible for a vaccine on April 15; but public health officials were eligible one week earlier because there had been far more doses than patients in the past few days.
Thousands of appointments were not booked by the qualifiers MyTurn Registration according to officials. The website, where the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine was available, has the capacity to administer approximately 7,000 doses per day.
The announcement Thursday that any adult between Thursday and Sunday could get a vaccine responded immediately and overwhelmingly. Appointments began to fill up quickly, and by Thursday morning the premises had so many entrances that staff had to start turning some people away, officials said.
On Thursday night, government officials announced that the turnaround policy would continue Friday for adults who do not have a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. those with underlying medical conditions; and people doing certain essential work, such as health care, education, child care, emergency services, and food and agriculture.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Governor’s Office for Emergency Services, which manages the premises, said the rest of Friday and over the weekend ‘is the only way to secure you from a vaccine. with the Federal Emergency Management Agency until Sunday night. The management of the site will be handed over to the city of Los Angeles on Monday morning.
By late Thursday morning, there was nearly a mile in the Cal State LA area while motorists visited the campus. The traffic jam was so bad that one highway had to be shut down.
Those who are lucky enough to occur 13:00, when officials conclude boarding appointments, they are shepherding to the shady ground level of a large parking structure, where they wait excitedly in rows of white folding chairs. They leave with green bracelets on their wrists and smiles on their faces.
Mike Carson, 39, spent 2 hours driving from Long Beach to campus. He persisted, he said, because he did not want to capture ‘The Rona’.
“When they announced on the news yesterday that it was opening and that they had these open spaces, I just wanted to try to finish it early,” Carson said. His only plan after that was to go to In-N-Out.
“It will be nice to finally feel safe,” he added.
Skye Wingo (27) and Toyoko Kumasaka (26) looked cheerful as they walked away from the parking structure. The friends went along at Wingo’s urging.
“I just wanted to make sure I did not continue the problem,” says Wingo, who works as a writing assistant.
He’s looking forward to ‘dancing to all these TikTok songs’ and maybe taking a trip to Seattle,’ he said. “I think it’s time, at least for my age group, that we feel comfortable exploring and not worrying about hurting anyone.”
Jack Thomas Salcido, an 18-year-old who helped his grandmother vaccinate earlier this year in a nearly three-hour process, was impressed.
“It was really fast,” he said. “We walked all the time, we just stood still for five minutes.”
Despite expectations, many who were vaccinated in Cal State on Thursday had no big plans for immediately thereafter. In fact, most – even the youngest – were just looking forward to spending time with more vulnerable family members.
“I have older parents and I would like to see them soon,” said Ethan Henes, a 21-year-old student at Occidental College, with a friend. ‘One of the biggest reasons I got the chance was that I wanted to feel safer while traveling. Now that that’s happened, I think I can start making plans. ”
Other provinces in the state have also decided to move faster than the state recommends allowing all adults and some teens access to the vaccine, including Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino provinces. Orange county someone aged 16 and over living in four zip codes severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – 92701 and 92703 in Santa Ana, 92805 in Anaheim and 92844 in Garden Grove – can be vaccinated.
Long Beach announced Thursday that all people aged 16 and older will also start vaccinating as careers at the Long Beach Convention Center, which takes place Monday through Saturday.
Melissa Simock, 47, traveled to West Hollywood to campus with her two elderly pugs after seeing a friend’s post on Facebook.
“I wanted to get rid of it. On top of that, they do Johnson & Johnson, so it is a one-stop-shop, ”she said.
Simmock says the process was ‘quick and easy, very organized’, which was especially enjoyable for her dogs, one of whom is disabled. “Wherever I go, they go,” she said.
Times author Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.