FEMA Opens First Mass Covid Vaccination Site in Los Angeles

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened its first COVID-19 mass vaccination sites Tuesday, setting up in Los Angeles and Oakland as part of an effort by the Biden administration to get shots into arms more quickly and reach minority communities hit hard by the outbreak.

"This is a framework, a focus not just on efficiency, not just speed, but on the issue of equity. That's what brings us here today," said California governor Gavin Newsom during the opening day event.

This is the nation's first mass vaccination site run with assistance from FEMA. Troops in camouflage fatigues directed vehicles around the sprawling parking lot at California State University, Los Angeles, where some 40 white tents were erected and dozens of orange cones put in place to guide traffic.

The site, set up in heavily Latino East L.A. as part of an effort to reach communities that have suffered disproportionately during the crisis, aims to vaccinate up to 6,000 people a day. Another such site opened at the Oakland Coliseum, near working-class Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti stressed the importance of putting the first site in this hard-hit area. "We will put our feet on the ground in a community that has seen this burn like a fire," he said.

California has overtaken New York state for the highest death toll in the nation, at over 47,000.

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