South LA

Pop-up vaccine clinic supports residents of South Los Angeles

The first mobile COVID-19 clinic arrived at South Park in Council District 9 on February 9 for hundreds of local seniors receiving the first of two guaranteed doses of the Pfizer vaccine. (Photo Courtesy of Curren D. Price, Jr.)

By Hannah Kate Woodworth and Astrid Kayembe

A mobile pop-up vaccine clinic is open for residents 65 years or older at the South Park Recreational Center in South Los Angeles through Friday, February 12, according to local officials.

Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr. in collaboration with the Los Angeles Fire Department and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) have organized a pop-up vaccination and COVID testing clinic to address issues of accessibility for those unable to get vaccinated or tested without access to a vehicle.

The pop-up also offers pick up and drop off services by bus or by field deputies.

“Team Price not only rolled up their sleeves to help register our community members aged 65 and older,” Price tweeted Tuesday. “But they were on deck picking up and dropping off individuals who did not have a way to get to the park.”

Pre-registration for the vaccination is required by calling the office at (323) 846-2651. The clinic is open from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. daily.

The vaccination site, which is specifically for District 9 residents, has the capacity to administer 200 doses each day of operation. District 9 encompasses much of South Los Angeles, stretching as far north as the Los Angeles Convention Center, west to Vermont Square park, east to Alameda and south to 93rd Street.

The vaccination site comes as new data shows that Black residents have the lowest vaccination rate of all racial groups at 7.2%, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

“Shockingly, Black residents have received only 3.5% of all administered doses, highlighting a glaring inadequacy in the vaccine rollout to date,” L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a news briefing on Monday.

Slightly over 14% of all Latinx people 65 years or older have received their first dose, according to the county Department of Public Health.

“We’re just trying to remove as many of these barriers as possible and enhancing, improving access to the healthcare that we know has been poor in many underserved communities like the one that we represent,” said Angelina Dumarot, the Communications Director for Councilmember Price.

The clinic is also available for walk-up COVID-19 testing with no appointment necessary.

“It’s...just making the most of what we got. It’s 800 doses. It’s definitely not enough,” Dumarot said. “It’s going to make a dent. And for some people, it can mean you know the difference between life or death.”

Price and his team are planning to erect more pop-up vaccination sites in the coming weeks.

Correction: An earlier version of this piece misspelled Angelina Dumarot’s last name.