LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – Orange County and the city of Long Beach both announced Tuesday that they will immediately offer the COVID-19 vaccine to older residents of California.
Long Beach health officials said residents 75 and older can receive the vaccine from Saturday, with clinics held weekly for people in the age group.
OC officials have announced that they will immediately start offering vaccines to people aged 65 and older.
“COVID-19 is literally everywhere,” said Dr. Jim Keany of Mission Hospital. ‘Currently, Orange County has a positive rate of 17 percent on the tests. This means that almost one in five people you pass have COVID. ”
Some jurisdictions in Southern California are moving forward with more availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Dodger Stadium and other locations in the state were used to serve as mass vaccination sites.
The news comes as the OC Health Care Agency reported 28 more COVID-19 deaths and 3,258 new cases, increasing the death toll to 2148 and the cumulative case to 195,685.
The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus decreased from 2,221 on Monday to 2,200 on Tuesday. The number of intensive care units fell from a record 544 to 535 on Monday.
In a virtual briefing, California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, said officials are reviewing new federal government guidelines that encourage countries to evaluate the priorities of spreading the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some reports have said that some people are reluctant to be vaccinated, but others insist on getting the shots faster. On Monday, leaders of the Longshore and Warehouse Union, who represent workers in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, sent a letter to the state health officials and the governor asking them to start at the beginning. of phase 1B qualifies for vaccinations.
ILWU claims that eight union members have died from the virus since early December, and in the first week of January, another 54 positive cases were confirmed among the workers.
“It is thanks to the hard work of our members that cargo moves efficiently through the San Pedro Bay Port Complex,” ILWU wrote. ‘It again holds the store shelves with food, goods and personal protective equipment that millions of Americans need when they take refuge or protect those under the effects of COVID-19. Although we are proud to be essential, we refuse to be overlooked while this virus is raging. “
Despite nearly 2.5 million doses of vaccines distributed in California, about 784,000 shots have been fired since last weekend, Newsom said yesterday.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)