City of Pasadena Public Health Department Update One in every four Pasadena residents over age 16 have received at least one dose
(PASADENA, Calif.) - The City of Pasadena Public Health Department is highly encouraged by current data that shows vaccine is getting into the arms of our community in accordance with current tiers. Over the past month, 71% of Pasadena residents age 65 or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. High rates of vaccination have been made possible in part through the efforts of the Pasadena Public Health Department and Huntington Hospital with high-volume vaccination dispensing sites, mobile vaccine strike teams, and daily clinics. The Pasadena Public Health Department and Huntington Hospital are planning a series of community-located clinics in the upcoming weeks and months to serve older adults with less healthcare access in our community. Even with limited quantities of vaccine allocated by the state to Pasadena, our priority is to ensure that all eligible residents and workers in the hardest hit communities have easy and equitable access to vaccines.
COVID-19 mortality is highest among seniors. Over 84% of COVID-19 fatalities in Pasadena have been in people over age 65. Vaccinating this group remains a high priority. Pasadena residents over age 65 that need access to COVID-19 vaccine can submit an inquiry form online, or contact the Citizen Service Center at (626) 744-7311, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. for more information.
Currently, only healthcare workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, emergency workers and first responders, and Pasadena residents who are age 65 or older are eligible to be vaccinated. Over 30,000 Pasadena residents have received at least one dose, which is 1 in 4 Pasadena residents 16 and older. As of February 23, over 44,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Pasadenans. There continues to be a scarcity of vaccine supply and variability in the amount of vaccine received from week to week, without information on future allocations from week to week. To date, the Pasadena Public Health Department has been able to order 39,820 doses of vaccine. “Vaccination is the way that our community will be able to emerge from this pandemic. We are so pleased that 71% of Pasadena residents 65 and over have received vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccines currently available to us are safe and effective. Vaccine supply has been an ongoing challenge, and we are operating at a fraction of our total vaccinating infrastructure capacity because of lack of supply,” said Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, Director and Health Officer of the Pasadena Public Health Department. “In the coming months, everyone who wants a vaccine will have access to a vaccine—it's not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Partners like Pasadena City College and Huntington Hospital have been instrumental in working with us to expand vaccine access for the community, and we look forward to expanding these partnerships in the upcoming weeks and months.”
The next sectors eligible for vaccine are education and childcare center workers, and food and agricultural workers. The Pasadena Public Health Department is working with these sectors and other partners to finalize vaccination strategies that offer multiple sites where eligible workers can get vaccinated.
Thousands of additional vaccine doses are now available at federally-run sites and commercial pharmacies. Eligible Pasadena residents should sign up on https://myturn.ca.gov or contact their healthcare provider or local pharmacy for vaccine availability.
For more information on vaccine availability at local pharmacies, visit:
