Hermosa Beach firefighters, some police officers receive COVID-19 vaccinations
Los Angeles County Division 1 Assistant Chief Scott Hale wears a mask for protection against COVID-19 during this year’a September 11 remembrance in Hermosa Beach. Photo
Los Angeles County’s nearly 4,000 firefighters, including those at the Hermosa Beach fire station, have received the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination, Los Angeles County Division 1 Assistant Chief Scott Hale said this week.
Hale, whose responsibilities include the Hermosa Beach station, said firefighter paramedics began administering the vaccine to fellow firefighters on Wednesday, Dec. 23, and completed the vaccinations on Monday, Dec 28. The second dose of the two-dose vaccine will be administered 28 days after the first dose, Hale said.
Los Angeles County paramedics also administered the Moderna vaccine to 10 of Hermosa Beach’s approximately 38 police officers.
“We had 10 doses left over, so last Sunday, we offered them to Hermosa Beach police officers at our Inglewood fire station,” Hale said.
Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Rosenthal said in a press release this week, that the police officers selected to receive the vaccine were the first 10 to respond to the offer. The press release added that the city does not know when the vaccine will be available for its other officers, and that officers will have the option to refuse to be vaccinated.
Los Angeles County Lifeguards, who are member of the County Fire Department, have also received the Moderna vaccinations, Lifeguard Public Information Officer Pono Barnes said this week.
Little Company Tier 1 medical workers, (who work directly with COVID-19 patients), began receiving the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, Dec. 17. All of its Tier 1 workers were scheduled to be vaccinated by the first of the year.
Torrance Memorial’s approximately 2,000 tier one workers began receiving the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, Dec. 19. All were scheduled to be vaccinated before Christmas.
The Pfizer vaccine also requires a second dose, approximately one month after the first dose, to be effective.
As of last Tuesday, Dec. 29, approximately 83,000 Los Angeles County’s medical workers, city and county firefighters, and ambulance workers had received either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department website lists four “phases” for the distribution of the vaccine, but does not give a time table for the distribution.
Phase 1A includes medical center workers; and health care workers in home care facilities, urgent care clinics, pharmacies, dental practices, and laboratories.
Phase 1B includes people over 75, first responders (police and fire), teachers, postal workers, public transit workers, and grocery store workers.
Phase 1C includes persons 65 to 74 years of age, persons with high risk medical conditions, and other “essential” workers, who include construction, transportation, food services, media, legal and finance workers.
Phase 2, the final vaccination phase, includes people 16 to 64 without underlying medical conditions. ER