Good morning LA It’s March 12th.
Earlier this month, food and agriculture workers became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. This includes supermarket and restaurant employees, cafeteria workers and many more.
But for farmers, one of the groups included among the newly eligible, access to the vaccine can be difficult. Of the approximately 200,000 individuals employed on California’s farms, many work six days a week and do not live near a clinic or vaccination site. Others may not have reliable access to a computer or the Internet to schedule an appointment.
My colleague Sharon McNary reports that, to get vaccines in more arms, a California non-profit organization is find rural workers where they are. Over the weekend, that meant creating a temporary vaccination site in an Oxnard alley, where 500 people received their first shot.
Although some in the queue had already been infected, receiving the vaccination provided much-needed relief, as they probably would not put their bodies – or their families’ – on it again.
When farmers became eligible for the vaccine, the same was true of most child caregivers, school staff and most emergency personnel. On March 15 – next Monday – LA eligibility will expand further, to include residents between the ages of 16 and 65 with underlying health problems.
In Long Beach, this expansion already happened.
Much of this increase in availability stems from President Joe Biden’s goal to administer 100 million vaccines in 100 days, that now he is supposed to hopes to overcome. Several federally funded vaccination sites have been opened in California according to this goal, including one in Cal State LA The supply of vaccines has also been up in recent weeks.
Abel Aragón Perez, who has worked as a farmer for 30 years and was vaccinated on Sunday, said he had good reasons to ensure his health.
“As a father,” he said, “I need to think about my children.”
Read on to find out more about what’s going on in LA today, and stay safe out there.
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What else you need to know today
Weekend readings
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and it’s hard enough to keep up with our day-to-day lives, let alone stay up to date with the news. But if you have some time this weekend, here’s what you may have missed:
Racial disparities in healthcare they permeate all areas, including when it comes to getting treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. (LA Sentinel)
Asian Americans in the San Gabriel Valley, they have suffered what appear to be racially motivated attacks. (LAist)
A local teacher is studying the effects of increased screen time on children, as many have increased screen / game / scroll time during the pandemic. (San Fernando Sun)
Domestic workers struggled with jobs and security throughout the pandemic. (Over there Opinion)
Sex workers they are reshaping their sector using the tools and skills they learned during the pandemic. (LAist)
Hostesses – community health workers – are connecting people with vaccine-related information and resources. (Beat Boyle Heights)
Salsa Dancers did not allow the coronavirus to prevent them from showing their movements. (LAist)
Neighborhood Council Elections are coming – find out what the neighborhood councils do and why you should be concerned about who is in yours. (The land)
A local artist place benches around the LA River in Frogtown – until the city collapsed. (LAist)
Before you go … This weekend’s outdoor choice: Desert X
OK people; we’re almost on the red layer. This means that indoor dining, movie theaters and more can start slowly – slowly! – reopen, with limited capacity. So, yes, start dusting off your pants that have no elasticated waistband and locate your hairbrush. But until we get the official word, there is still a lot to do in the comfort of your sofa (or outdoors!):
Watch the hunk go to the beach. Take the sets of Jhene Aiko and John Legend. Enjoy Tilda Swinton in Pedro Almodóvar’s newest film. Learn about the history of Korean and Japanese alcohol. Divide into some Pi Day offers. Explore art in the desert. Laugh along with Fortune Feimster. And more.
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