Dodger Stadium to serve as vaccine site

After serving as a COVID-19 testing site since May, the city of Los Angeles is turning Dodger Stadium into the first mass vaccination center, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced earlier this week.

“Every spring, summer and fall, Dodger Stadium is a place where hope springs eternal for local sports fans -- and with our new vaccination site, this legendary landmark will deliver hope for an end to the pandemic for our region’s residents,” Garcetti said. “All of us have a responsibility to get our vaccines as soon as they’re available, and each of us must continue to do our part to defeat COVID-19, ignite our recovery and save lives.”

When fully operational, the Dodger Stadium site will be able to vaccinate upwards of 12,000 people per day by next week. Under the supervision of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the vaccination site will operate with a full staff of 194. That staff will include members of the LAFD, paramedics and logisticians alongside clinicians and support personnel from partner organizations.

“Dodger Stadium has hosted many notable events in its nearly six decades, but none more important than helping our community during this public health crisis -- first as a supersite that administered over a million tests and now as a vaccination site,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “The Dodgers are part of the fabric of Los Angeles and we want to do everything we can to help Angelenos get through these tough times safer and faster.”

Upon arrival, people will be separated into one of three “divisions” which will consist of 10 cars. After the registration, evaluation and verification process, patients will then be screened for risk of reaction and directed to the injection area. Once the person receives the injection, they will be observed for 15 minutes in order to confirm that there is no allergic reaction.

The Dodger Stadium vaccination site will be open from Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT, and it will only accept people who are eligible according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s vaccine eligibility criteria.

Everyone who shows up must have an appointment and show proof of identification as listed on the website. L.A. County residents can visit coronavirus.lacity.org/vaccines to schedule an appointment or see who is eligible.