Hollywood, CA–The coronavirus vaccine has arrived and Los Angeles healthcare workers at a Hollywood Kaiser were among those to receive the first doses. It has been made clear by officials that the vaccine which is currently limited in supply, will go to those on the front lines and the most vulnerable. This includes healthcare workers as well as elderly people who live in long-term facilities.
L.A officials are warning of scams in the form of calls or text from people saying they can provide access to the vaccine. Los Angeles Department of Health Director Barbara Ferrer reminded the public that the vaccine is expected to be widely available Spring or Summer 2021.
Teachers, healthcare workers as well as first responders will be among the next to receive the vaccine in California. According to NBC Los Angeles,
— 1.4 million education and child care providers, a category that includes preschools, K-12, and higher education including trade schools.
— 1.1 million emergency services providers, including not only police and firefighters but those who provide child and youth services, shelters, social services for the elderly and those with disabilities, the criminal justice system, and businesses that provide goods used by the safety workers.
— 3.4 million food and agriculture workers, from farm to table including those working in food and drinking establishments as well as farmworkers and grocers, bakers and butchers. Plant nurseries, florists and sawmills all fall into that category, as do community food services and pharmacies.
There continues to be a high amount of skepticism regarding the vaccine, with many questioning how fast the vaccine was produced in comparison to other vaccines. Healthcare workers, as well as some government officials have agreed to take the vaccine on camera to ease public concerns.
“Generations of deadly experimentations on Blacks such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and eugenics on the female body have left many skeptical of vaccines, trials, and the medical system overall,” (WLKY).
