LA to Transition Dodger Stadium to Vaccination Site

LOS ANGELES — The City of Los Angeles announced that COVID-19 testing operations at Dodger Stadium will end on Monday, and in collaboration with the County of Los Angeles, will transition the site into a mass vaccination center by the end of the week. Local leaders decided to shift testing away from Dodger Stadium and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Lot 15 (Jackie Robinson Stadium), so public health officials can immediately focus personnel, equipment, and other resources on vaccination distribution.

“I want to thank Mayor Eric Garcetti, the entire City of Los Angeles, and the Dodgers organization for their partnership in getting us to this point,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District. “For eight months, Dodger Stadium served as a lifeline for so many Angelenos – providing free access to testing. In this moment of darkness where cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are skyrocketing, this bold step of offering both COVID-19 testing and vaccines in the heart of Los Angeles, reflects the dual nature of this moment – it is dark, but simultaneously hopeful. Robust COVID-19 testing is the linchpin to getting out of this current and unprecedented surge and the vaccine is fulcrum to ending the pandemic once and for all.”

“From early on in this pandemic, Dodger Stadium has been home base for our testing infrastructure, a vital part of our effort to track the spread of COVID-19, try to get ahead of outbreaks, and save lives,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Vaccines are the surest route to defeating this virus and charting a course to recovery, so the City, County, and our entire team are putting our best resources on the field to get Angelenos vaccinated as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible.”

Thanks to strong leadership from the County Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and community partners, the Dodger Stadium site will be able to vaccinate up to 12,000 people per day when it is fully up and running. Yet as vaccine supplies ramp up in the weeks and months ahead, officials have continued to urge residents to keep wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, maintaining social distance, and staying home.

This shift in resources will temporarily reduce testing capacity in L.A. County, but it will more than triple the number of daily vaccines available to be dispersed to Angelenos. The City remains committed to providing free testing to residents, with or without symptoms, at eight permanent sites and six mobile sites across L.A.. In the weeks ahead, the number of tests offered will increase through existing locations, additional mobile teams, and an expanded site at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Anyone seeking a test can find more information at coronavirus.lacity.org/testing or should contact their health care provider.

More than one million Angelenos have been tested for COVID-19 at Dodger Stadium since it opened in May 2020, and no existing testing appointments are affected by this week’s operational changes. Vaccinations at the site will be distributed in accordance with CDC, State, and County guidance to eligible populations. For more information about vaccine eligibility, Angelenos can visit VaccinateLACounty.com.

About the City of L.A.’s COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Program
The City of Los Angeles launched its testing program on March 20, 2020, to test first responders and vulnerable individuals. Led by the LAFD, and in partnership with Curative and CORE, it has become one of the largest municipal COVID-19 free testing programs in the country. At Mayor Garcetti’s direction, free testing was rapidly offered to all residents, with or without symptoms, whether or not they have insurance. Since then, the City has tested over 3.6 million people and can test up to 28,000 people each day across eight City testing sites and up to six mobile testing sites.

Program operations were expanded in partnership with the USC School of Pharmacy and Curative to include flu vaccinations in September 2020. Most recently, in December 2020, the City and County added COVID-19 vaccinations at four sites in areas significantly impacted by COVID-19. In under two weeks, the City has already vaccinated almost 20,000 healthcare workers.