This week begins the rollout of vaccinations for food sector workers in the City of Long Beach. Appointments for the week of Jan. 19 already are full, but food sector workers are encouraged to check with their employers or sign up for updates using the City’s new online vaccination portal, VaxLB.
“We are making strides in our vaccination rollout and are now moving into vaccinating food workers,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “It’s crucial that essential workers stay healthy and we’re committed to ensuring all food sector workers, whether they live or work in Long Beach, get their opportunity to get vaccinated.”
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) is currently in the process of contacting food sector employers, including grocery stores and restaurants. The vaccinations will take place at the mass vaccination clinic at the Long Beach Convention Center. Appointments are required.
“We are very excited that food sector workers, a group who are very much on the frontline, soon will be getting vaccinated,” said Health Department Director Kelly Colopy. “The nature of their jobs puts their health at risk as they can’t work from home and may not always physically be able to distance themselves from others. Vaccinations are important to safeguard their health.”
The City of Long Beach continues to administer vaccines as they become available. Vaccinations have been administered to hospital workers, frontline City health workers, emergency medical personnel, Long Beach Fire Department firefighters and EMTs. The City recently kicked off Phase 1B of the vaccine roll-out plan when other City employees critical to COVID-19 emergency response efforts received the vaccine. Vaccinations of older adults began on Saturday, January 16. Food workers will be vaccinated as more vaccine becomes available.
Proof of current employment in Long Beach, such as a recent pay stub from the past 30 days, ID or employer letter on official letterhead, will be required for essential workers to receive their vaccines at this time. For those who work outside of Long Beach, proof of current food sector employment plus proof of residency in Long Beach, such as a piece of mail, will be required. Those without proper documentation will be turned away. Drivers who deliver food via apps such as GrubHub, Instacart and UberEats are not part of this phase and will be included in the transportation group.
All Long Beach residents are encouraged to register with VaxLB. The VaxLB portal makes the process of learning about and scheduling COVID-19 vaccines easier and more transparent. By visiting longbeach.gov/vaxLB, people will be able to sign up to be notified when it’s their turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The portal provides information, including self-service appointment booking, as vaccine becomes available, for people who are eligible to be vaccinated. The site and sign-up form are available in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer.
Individuals with additional questions may call 562.570.INFO (4636), option 6, or email COVID19Vaccine@longbeach.gov.
To date, 21,644 vaccines have been administered in Long Beach. All vaccines are administered free of charge and have been provided directly by the federal government.
The Health Department is managing the vaccine distribution and dispensing process in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the State of California. Vaccines are being allocated to the City by employment and are being made available to individuals in two phases with sub-phases and tiered sub-prioritization until more vaccines become available. People with access to the vaccine appointment link but who are not qualified under the current phase, and essential workers who do not work in Long Beach, will not be vaccinated at this time.
Additional details about the City’s vaccine rollout plan are available on the City’s website. The City urges individuals to be aware of COVID-19 vaccination scams and report suspicious activity.
For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.