Coronavirus vaccinations begin today for LA City Firefighters and paramedics.
The department's own paramedics will administer the Moderna shots.
Capt. Erik Scott told The Los Angeles Times, that the vaccine will be stored in refrigerators at a department facility, adding that a total of 552 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 58 since Thursday. More than 100 personnel are isolating at home.
LA County Fire says it expects to receive the vaccine in the next week or two.
Jon O’Brien, deputy chief of the county department’s Emergency Medical Services bureau, told the Times that the department should receive enough doses to vaccinate its approximately 3,800 sworn employees with the first shipment.'Brien says the vaccinations will “put our folks in a much safer position” but won’t mean that employees will stop taking precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Currently, 296 personnel are in quarantine or isolation at home.
As for the LAPD and the LA County Sheriff's Department, they'll likely start receiving the vaccinations sometime mid-January.