Clinic in Latino area receives 100 vaccinations for 12,000 patients

Miguel Angel Murcia said he would have been happy to get his COVID-19 vaccine at Dodger Stadium’s mass vaccination site.

But the 75-year-old is not driving. He has no family nearby. And he does not have internet access.

Instead, Murcia relies on perseverance – calling staff repeatedly at Clínica Monseñor Romero in Boyle Heights where he has been a patient for more than a decade.

“When will you have the vaccine available?” he asked.

On Saturday, Murcia’s zeal paid off. He became the third person to be vaccinated during the clinic’s first vaccination system. The community clinic provides health services in Boyle Heights and Pico-Union, which serve communities that are at the center of the pandemic – mainly Hispanic Latino and Native Americans of Mexico and Central America.

After weeks of waiting, the clinic received a consignment of Moderna vaccines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health last month – 100 shots for the clinic’s 12,000 patients. For this reason, those eligible to receive vaccinations on Saturday were limited to people 75 years and older.

But with COVID-19 vaccines falling short, the decision on how to prioritize vaccinations is becoming an increasing issue, especially in the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

“How will 100 care for the 12,000 patients and the surrounding community of 1 million?” asks Dr. Don Garcia, the medical director of the clinic. “It’s an embarrassment.”

In California, Latino residents are disproportionately affected by the virus. Latinos make up an estimated 40% of the state’s population, but represent 55% of its COVID cases and 46% of its deaths due to the new coronavirus.

The number of Latino residents in LA County who die daily from COVID-19 – averaging over a two-week period – has skyrocketed: 40 deaths per 100,000 Latino residents. That is almost three times that of white residents, a section of the population that sees an average of 14 deaths per 100,000 people.

Clínica Romero has two premises, one in Boyle Heights and another in the MacArthur Park area where most of the clinics are Latino patients and immigrants, including many who do not have legal status and work in the service industry.

Since March, the positivity rate at the Boyle Heights Clinic has been at 40% throughout. That’s more than triple the seven-day average test positivity rate for LA County, which was 9.99% on Saturday morning.

The clinic performed an estimated 2500 COVID-19 tests.

“We are in the eye of the storm,” García said. “But no one reaches out and responds to my cries of passion and frustration.”

A Department of Public Health official did not respond to questions specific to Clínica Romero, but sent a story to the Los Angeles Times about limited vaccine supply.

Carlos Vaquerano, executive director of the clinic, said he was pleased to receive the 100 doses of vaccine and he understands the shortages. He nevertheless said that the deployment and distribution of vaccines was not fair.

“It’s a matter of fair distribution,” he said. ‘We serve the community hardest hit in Los Angeles. These are essential workers who get sick and die at a higher percentage than anyone else in the country. ‘

According to Vaquerano, the patients of the clinic have many challenges and do not know how to take the process of being vaccinated via a megacenter.

“These people are the ones who have been serving the clinic for a long time, and they trust us to give a vaccine,” he said. “We have a long-term relationship with our patients. They trust us. They feel more comfortable going to a community center than going to a mega center. The mega sites are not for our community. ”

Many of the population serving the clinic are more likely to use public transportation or live in cramped spaces where physical distance is difficult. Like Murcia, many do not have internet access, which is necessary to book many of the appointments available at the mega-vaccination centers.

“Asking the people in our communities to go to mega-centers to be vaccinated is like saying that you go to us for the water to put out the fire if it is best to get the water to the to take fire, “García said. “There’s something upside down here.”

On Saturday, elderly Latinos stand with walkers and in wheelchairs outside Clínica Romero, founded in 1983 by Salvadoran refugees. Some came alone. Others were accompanied by boys or girls.

Ana Canales, a 78-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, was helped by her daughter. The mother and daughter did not have a car, so they took a taxi to the clinic and were the very first in line. Canales was the first to receive her vaccine.

‘There are so many people waiting. “Thank God, I was able to get it,” Canales said. “I feel so proud that I was the first one. Hopefully this will give others the strength to get it too. ”

Times photographer Genaro Molina contributed to this report.