Health official denies ESPN report: Lakers not yet eligible for vaccine

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By KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO

If the Lakers are being offered COVID-19 shots, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer says the team is not getting them from LA County.

We have reached out to the Lakers for comment, and have not heard back yet.

Following an ESPN report ​citing sources saying that "members" of the organization are expected to get shots this week, Ferrer said she doesn't know how that would be possible given that the county is following the state's eligibility rules.

"Any Laker player with a serious underlying health condition is obviously eligible as are any staff as are any residents here in LA County. But beyond that we have not opened vaccinations yet for everybody 16 and older," she says.

Other teams are getting shots, but eligibility rules vary from state to state.

Commissioner Adam Silver has said the NBA isn't requiring it but he thinks "most" players will choose to be vaccinated.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Los Angeles Lakers center court logo during a preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers at Staples Center on December 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)