L.A. opens up COVID-19 vaccine appointments for everyone age 16 and up

Los Angeles has opened COVID-19 vaccine appointments to people age 16 and older.

On the city’s website for COVID-19 vaccine registration, operated by Carbon Health, there is now an option to book an appointment for people 16 and older at city-run vaccination sites.

People who are seeking shots at city-run vaccination sites must provide valid identification and be a resident of Los Angeles County. City-run sites are open from Tuesday through Saturday.

“We are excited to open vaccination appointments for Angelenos 16 and older,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “We continue to receive a limited supply of vaccines, and when we receive greater supply in the weeks ahead, the city will be ready to administer even more vaccines quickly and safely.”

Only one vaccine — manufactured by Pfizer — has been authorized for use by those age 16 and 17.

The updated website offers appointments for everyone 16 and older as early as Tuesday — two days earlier than Thursday, when California formally opens vaccinations to all residents in this age range. Currently, the statewide criteria say that only people 50 and older, those with underlying health conditions, and workers in certain specified essential job sectors are eligible for the vaccine.

But many local jurisdictions have moved faster than the state in allowing everyone age 16 and above to get the vaccine.

The city of Long Beach, the UC Davis Health system in the Sacramento area, and the counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Fresno, Contra Costa, Butte, Shasta and Nevada have opened up vaccines to those ages 16 and older; Yuba and Sutter counties have made shots available to all adults.

Orange County and San Francisco are allowing people 16 and older living in hard-hit ZIP Codes to get vaccinated.

Anyone working or living in Alameda County age 16 and older can now book appointments through the state’s MyTurn registration system, even at the mass vaccination site at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, according to San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney.

Haney tweeted that all counties should just make all Californians age 16 and up eligible for vaccine appointments now.

“It seems clear that everyone ages 16+ in the Bay Area counties (or all of California) should just be all made eligible for vaccine appointments right now,” Haney wrote. “The inconsistencies and inequities are reaching peak ridiculousness in light of how close we are to opening it up to all.”

All COVID-19 vaccines are free regardless of immigration or health insurance status.