LA to Phase Out City-Run Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Sites as Strategy Shifts to Mobile-First

Los Angeles’ city-run vaccine program will phase out its large-scale COVID-19 vaccination sites over the next two months as it transitions to a mobile-first strategy.

Find a vaccination site in Los Angeles

The city-operated vaccine site at Pierce College in Woodland Hills will close June 19, and the site at Los Angeles Southwest College will close June 26. All other remaining city-operated large-scale sites will close by Aug. 1.

As of May 16, more than 9.1 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the county, and more than 5 million residents have received at least one dose. Among residents aged 16 and over, 61% have received at least one dose, and 47% are now considered fully vaccinated.

Health authorities have been placing increased emphasis on mobile vaccination clinics as demand for the shots has waned, creating less of a need for large-scale vaccine sites. Los Angeles County continues to operate its large-scale sites, but has also bolstered its mobile vaccine efforts. The city and county both plan to target mobile vaccination programs in hard-hit communities that have the lowest rates of vaccination -- notably Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Los Angeles County's public health director said Thursday the county has identified just 933 "breakthrough" cases of fully vaccinated residents testing positive for the virus -- out of more than 3 million people.

Barbara Ferrer said the numbers translate to an infection rate of 0.03% among the nearly 3.3 million people who were fully vaccinated in the county as of May 7. Of those 933 people, 71 were hospitalized -- a rate of 0.002% of the fully vaccinated population -- and 12 died, translating to a rate of 0.00036%.

She noted that of the 12 people who died, four had "severely weakened immune systems" from prior medical conditions or medications, highlighting the need for such people to continue taking precautions even after being fully vaccinated.

California COVID-19 Vaccinations

The map tracks the number of doses administered by a recipient's county of residence according to the The California Department of Public Health.

Source: The statewide totals for doses administered reflect Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Otherwise we used data from the California Department of Public Health.
Amy O’Kruk/NBC

"Our results are in fact consistent with the state's," Ferrer said. "And this news is very good because these numbers show that the vaccination is working extraordinarily well to prevent infection, illness and death in almost everyone vaccinated."

Ferrer also pointed to a pair of other recent studies -- one out of Houston and another from Israel -- that both found the vaccines had an effectiveness rate of more than 96% in preventing illness.

"We now have mounting proof that these vaccines really work," she said.