White House announces some COVID-19 vaccines will be sent directly to pharmacies

covid-19vaccine_020121getty.jpg

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced that it will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies around the country in an effort to expand access.The vaccines will be available in 6,500 pharmacie…

LAFD has enough COVID vaccine for all firefighters, but only 54% have opted for shot

Require shot for work…

LOS ANGELES — Though the Los Angeles Fire Department procured enough COVID-19 vaccines for nearly all its personnel, only about 54% have been inoculated, officials said.

Of the department’s approximately 3,400 firefighters, 1,842 have received the voluntary vaccine, according to the department.

The city announced on Dec. 28 that the Los Angeles Fire Department had received 3,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to vaccinate “virtually everybody” at the fire department, Mayor Eric Garcetti said then.

A survey of 1,400 fire department personnel around that time showed that 90% of firefighters at the time planned to sign up, according to Garcetti. The vaccine was offered to all firefighters over a two-week period.

LAFD spokesman David Ortiz was asked Monday about the lower-than-expected turnout.

“We are a reflection of our society, and so, that’s the same question you could pose to the general public, why people who are eligible are not getting the vaccine,” Ortiz told City News Service. “I would assume they have their own personal reasons.”

First doses of the Moderna vaccine remain available at designated fire stations for firefighters who want it. Second doses are also being administered to firefighters, and 933 had received both doses as of Monday, Ortiz said.

“Our firefighters are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 every day, and the mayor strongly urges any firefighter who hasn’t been vaccinated to take the shot as soon as possible,” Garcetti’s Deputy Communications Director Alex Comisar said in a statement.

According to Ortiz, 865 sworn members of the fire department have tested positive since the pandemic began. As of Thursday, 22 firefighters are in isolation with the virus, and 45 members who previously tested positive are no longer in quarantine but have not returned to work, Ortiz said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends people to get vaccinated even if they’ve already had COVID-19, but they should wait until their isolation period is over. Those who have received monoclonal antibody treatment, however, should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine. It’s unknown how many firefighters have not received the vaccine due to a waiting period following treatment.

Related Articles

Calls For ‘Healing’ and ‘Unity’ Are Insulting Without Accountability

l7rukevotig8mutmmjbb.jpg

A week after the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared that she had had a “close encounter” on that day, one which led her to believe that she and others might be killed. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that many many members of the House were nearly assassinated,” she said during a…

Read more…

H.Res. 72: Removing a certain Member from certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

thumbnail

Legislation Coming Up: This resolution has been added to the House’s schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at https://ift.tt/2g091ss.

Last Action: This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on February 1, 2021. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.

The Power of Reliable Data: Can Vaccines from Russia and China Be a Game Changer?

China and Russia have been exporting their vaccines for months, despite a lack of data on safety and efficacy. On Tuesday, though, it was announced that Sputnik V from Russia is both. If the Chinese vaccines likewise stand up to rigorous examination, it would be a huge step forward in the fight against COVID-19.