How Youths Can Get The Vaccine In Manhattan Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Tweens and young teens can start getting the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at Los Angeles County grocery stores, parks, school campuses, and mass vaccination sites as early as Thursday, health officials announced.

Federal authorities gave the approval to administer the vaccine to children as young as 12 on Wednesday, and county officials wasted no time in making it available to local youths Wednesday. The long-awaited approval comes as the county notched a slight uptick in daily new coronavirus cases and deaths Wednesday. It's too early to determine if the uptick is a reporting blip or an actual trend. For weeks, cases and transmission rates have been dropping in the county.

"We are grateful to the scientists, clinicians, and the young people who participated in clinical trials that helped the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the CDC determine that these vaccines are safe and effective for this age group," Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. "The COVID-19 vaccine is the most powerful tool available to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and prevent hospitalizations and deaths from the virus. Increasing the number of people vaccinated speeds up our recovery journey and allows us to safely participate in the summer activities we all love and miss."

Youths can get the vaccine through county clinics as well as through the city of Long Beach and at Ralphs Stores starting Thursday. Only the Pfizer vaccine is approved for youth aged 12-17. A full list of vaccination sites in Los Angeles County offering the Pfizer vaccine is available at http://bit.ly/PfizerSites. The list may expand in the coming days as health and school officials iron out effective ways to bring the shot to younger patients.

For youths to obtain the vaccine, they must be accompanied by an adult and have parental consent, according to health officials.

County officials noted that anyone aged 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult at a vaccination site.

In Manhattan Beach, Pfizer shots will be available to those 12 and older at the CVS store at 1200 North Sepulveda Blvd. Call 310-546-1731 for more information.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis issued a statement Wednesday urging parents to get their teenagers vaccinated.

"Although children and teens have been at lower risk than adults to be hospitalized or have a severe illness from COVID-19, they can still carry and pass on the virus to more vulnerable adults, and their lives have been upended as a result," Solis said. "At the county, we are prepared to administer these vaccines at a variety of sites -- from our larger sites to parks administering the Pfizer vaccine, to those set up on school campuses directly. By doing so, we can give children and their families the peace of mind that they will soon be able to add another level of security to their protection from this virus and brings us closer to our new normal."

Ferrer said Monday if the county can maintain its pace of administering about 400,000 doses per week, "herd immunity" could be achieved by mid to late July. Health officials are estimating that 80% of county residents will need to get vaccinated to reach that point.
County officials had earlier estimated that the bulk of county residents could be vaccinated by late June. But demand for the vaccine has tailed off -- both in the county and statewide -- in recent weeks.

Vaccines are now being offered without appointments at all county- and city-run vaccination sites, while authorities are emphasizing mobile clinics that reach into neighborhoods with low rates of inoculations.

According to figures provided Monday, only 38% of Black residents in the county have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 42% of Latinx residents. That compares to 60% of white residents and 68% of Asians.

When looking at the numbers by age, older residents — who have been eligible for shots much longer — have the best rates, with 86% of residents aged 65-79 receiving at least one shot, and 73% of those aged 80 and up.

But among the youngest eligible residents, those aged 16 and 17, the rate is just 34%, along with 45% of residents aged 18-29, 54% of those 30-49 and 65% of residents 50-64.

The county on Wednesday confirmed another 21 COVID-19 deaths — up from 18 on Tuesday. The cases lift the death toll from throughout the pandemic to 24,041.

According to state figures, there were 375 people hospitalized in the county due to COVID as of Wednesday, down from 379 on Tuesday, with 84 people in intensive care.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.