Drivers in vehicles arrive for their Covid-19 vaccinations to be administered by members of the National Guard on the opening day of a new mass Covid-19 vaccination site established between the federal government and the state on February 16, 2021 on the campus at California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. – The CSULA site, along with a similar site at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, will be co-run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of California through the governor’s Office of Emergency Services and is expected to have an ultimate capacity of administering 6,000 doses per day in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
What to Know
- Supply delays are caused by winter storms throughout the country.
- Two separate shipments of vaccines heading to LA were held up due to grounded flights and icy roads.
- LA County is not impacted.
Los Angeles' city-run vaccination sites will be closed Friday and Saturday and all appointments have been rescheduled due to supply delays caused by winter storms throughout the nation.
"Severe weather across the country has disrupted travel and shipping nationwide, including delaying the delivery of our vaccines," Garcetti said. "Our city is ready to administer COVID-19 vaccines swiftly, safely and equitably -- and as soon as doses arrive in Los Angeles, we will get them into people's arms immediately."
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Two separate shipments of vaccines heading to Los Angeles were held up due to grounded flights and icy roads:
- 26,000 doses which were supposed to arrive Tuesday are currently in Kentucky; and
- 37,000 doses intended to be used for next week's appointments are currently in Tennessee.
Los Angeles County health officials say the county is not impacted by delays in vaccine deliveries.
Garcetti announced Friday morning that Saturday's appointments would also be postponed.
Weather-related delays of vaccine shipments has also forced the closure of vaccination sites in Orange County and is causing delays in vaccinations in San Diego County.
"We are collaborating closely with the city of Los Angeles to ensure the vaccination distribution process is as smooth as possible," said Dr. Sujal Mandavia, chief medical officer of Carbon Health, which coordinates the city's vaccination efforts. "Second dose appointments will be prioritized, and it is our intent to administer those second doses within the CDC-recommended timeframe of 42 days after the first dose."
The 12,500 people who had appointments scheduled at city-run sites Friday will receive a notification by text, e-mail or phone that their appointment is postponed, according to Garcetti's office. They will be prioritized for new appointments once the city receives vaccine supply and will receive a notification about their automatically rescheduled appointment.
The latest disruption comes less than a week after the city closed its vaccination sites last Friday and Saturday after exhausting its supply of first-dose Moderna vaccines.
Prior to running out of vaccines, the city received only 16,000 new doses for the week, while it was administering an average of 13,051 doses per day.
