COVID-19 vaccination sites pop up in San Fernando Valley

A pop-up COVID-19 vaccination effort kicked off Tuesday in the northeast San Fernando Valley, with the first of three sites opening in Pacoima, officials said.

Subsequent sites will arrive in Sylmar and Tujunga and are open to residents of Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez’s District 7, which also includes North Hills, Mission Hills, Lakeview Terrace and Shadow Hills.

The hyper-local approach “is part of how we get equity, and this is how we actually work to get these vaccines made available to members of our community, many of whom don’t have the means or the wherewithal or the time to navigate what has been a very complicated process,” Rodriguez said.

Appointments are available for residents over the age of 65, as well as workers in food service, farm and agriculture, emergency services, education, child care, healthcare and residents of long-term care facilities.

The facilities will be capable of administering as many as 200 doses each day, officials said.

Rodriguez said in a video announcing the launch that the pandemic has devastated parts of her district — which is why she’s requiring people to provide proof they’re locals.

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“We’re looking for the folks with the ZIP Codes in our community because I didn’t want folks from other communities to be coming in and getting access to the vaccines that our community desperately needs,” Rodriguez said.

The pop-up sites will be located at the following places:

• Valley Crossroads Seventh Day Adventist, at 11350 Glenoaks Blvd. in Pacoima, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments can be made by calling (818) 485-0600.
  
• Sylmar Recreation Center, at 13109 Borden Ave. in Sylmar, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 9-13. Appointments can be made by calling (818) 756-8409.
  
• North Valley City Hall, at 7747 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 16-20. Appointments can be made by calling (818) 352-3287.
  

Seniors and healthcare workers “remain our highest priority,” Rodriguez said, adding that the pop-up sites are intended to provide better access to those who might not be able to get to larger vaccination sites farther away.

On Monday, vaccine access in Los Angeles County was expanded to include essential workers, including teachers and farmworkers. That day, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood opened as a large-scale vaccination site for Los Angeles Unified School District employees.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has mandated that 10% of all vaccine supply received in the state be immediately set aside for teachers, child-care workers and other school staff.