Manhattan Beach As COVID-19 Vaccination Site On Hold, For Now

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Plans to have a coronavirus vaccination site in the South Bay, and maybe even in Manhattan Beach, have come to a standstill, said Manhattan Beach City Council member Richard Montgomery at tonight's City Council meeting. Montgomery told his colleagues and the public that the "state has pulled back on distribution" of the vaccine, effectively putting a "pause" to any local MPOD [Medical Point of Dispensing].

Montgomery and other local government officials had been optimistic about a local MPOD, with AdventurePlex in Manhattan Beach even suggested as the location. Now, with vaccines in limited supply and the state attempting to get a handle on its ill-planned rollout, areas under consideration for MPODs have been put on hold.

As of Monday, Los Angeles County officials noted that as of late January, 7.9% of people in the county had received at least a first dose of the vaccine, and the county had administered 79.8% of its supply. Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that as of last week, the county had received 991,375 doses of the vaccination, and 790,902 shots had been administered.

She acknowledged, however, that the limited availability of vaccine has dramatically slowed the overall effort. The county's weekly allocations have varied greatly, but have been averaging around 140,000 doses. And of late, much of the new vaccine supply being received each week must be reserved to provide second doses to people who have already had the first shot. Ferrer noted that more than 85,000 appointments at county vaccination sites have been reserved through Feb. 19 for second doses.

Montgomery said the local MPOD is "high on the priority list" and that the Beach Cities Health District, which serves Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, is still at work communicating with the county about an MPOD.

City News Service contributed to this report.