The City of Long Beach announced on Wednesday, March 3 that it will be rolling out two new mobile vehicles to administer vaccinations to homebound residents and individuals in neighborhoods with the highest coronavirus case rates to reduce the effects of COVID-19.
“We’re committed to making the vaccines available to everyone who lives or works in Long Beach and wants them,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “Our new mobile vaccination vans will enhance our outreach efforts to keep our homebound residents, seniors and at-risk individuals safe.”
Each vehicle is self-contained to administer vaccinations and is equipped with supplies, vaccine storage units, tables, chairs and hand-washing stations to maximize the team’s time in the community. Mobile Vaccination Team One (MVT-1) will be deployed to in-home appointments and homebound individuals, while Mobile Vaccination Team Two (MVT-2) will provide mobile vaccination clinics throughout Long Beach.
“Vaccinations add another layer of protection against COVID-19 and our new vehicles will maximize our mobile teams’ ability to administer vaccines in the communities where they’re needed most,” Health and Human Services Director Kelly Colopy said.
Last month, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services began conducting vaccine clinics as part of an outreach program to vaccinate people in neighborhoods most impacted by COVID via small, community-based clinics. MVT-2 will be deployed to provide pop-up vaccination sites in neighborhoods, with priority given to areas where case rates have been the highest, and outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Each week, the mobile team will work with community based organizations to conduct community outreach in advance of the clinic’s arrival. The pop-up clinic on wheels will have the capacity to administer up to 300 vaccines each day.
Individuals interested in requesting a home appointment may visit the City’s website to complete a request form or call 562.570.INFO (4636) for assistance. Health Department staff will screen requests and verify eligibility before scheduling an appointment for at-home services. Individuals with additional questions may email COVID19Vaccine@longbeach.gov.
All residents, even those who have received COVID-19 vaccinations, are urged to continue practicing all health and safety protocols, including wearing a face covering and maintaining proper physical distance from others.
To date, there have been 51,412 COVID-19 cases in Long Beach and 856 people have died from the virus. More than 114,000 vaccines have been administered. All vaccines are administered free of charge and have been provided directly by the federal government.
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.
