By Lisa Baertlein
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – About 800 workers from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Friday will be in the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations for employees at the United States’ busiest seaport complex, which has been hard hit by pandemic-related workforce disruptions and surging imports.
Congress members last month joined state and local leaders in urging California officials to hasten COVID-19 vaccinations for employees at the ports amid high-stakes battles over which workers should be prioritized as essential.
Such decisions at times are made at the local level, which has led to a patchwork of vaccination eligibility rules at a time when demand for COVID-19 vaccines far outstrips supply.
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services organized the clinic, which earmarked 800 doses of the Moderna Inc vaccine for port workers. The event comes as mass inoculation sites in other parts of Los Angeles County – including at Dodger Stadium – are temporarily closed due to a lack of vaccine supply.
Meanwhile, some states are starting to expand vaccinations beyond first responders, healthcare workers and the elderly to supermarket clerks, line cooks, bus drivers and teachers.
In New York state, grocery store and restaurant workers are permitted to get the shots. And in Illinois, some auto factory workers have begun receiving vaccinations.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
