Though the Los Angeles Fire Department procured enough COVID-19 vaccines for nearly all its personnel, only about 54% have been inoculated, officials said Monday.
Of the department’s approximately 3,400 firefighters, 1,842 have received the vaccine, according to the department.
The city announced on Dec. 28 that the Los Angeles Fire Department had received 3,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to vaccinate “virtually everybody” at the fire department, Mayor Eric Garcetti said then.
A survey of 1,400 fire department personnel around that time showed that 90% of firefighters at the time planned to sign up for the voluntary vaccinations, according to Garcetti. The vaccine was offered to all firefighters over a two week period.
LAFD spokesman David Ortiz was asked Monday about the lower-than-expected turnout.
“We are a reflection of our society, and so, that’s the same question you could pose to the general public, why people who are eligible are not getting the vaccine,” Ortiz told City News Service. “I would assume they have their own personal reasons.”
First doses of the Moderna vaccine remain available at designated fire stations for firefighters who want it. Second doses are also being administered to firefighters, and 933 had received both doses as of Monday, Ortiz said.
