Several district attorneys and public defenders were able to receive doses of the COVD-19 vaccine at a Crenshaw distribution site on Wednesday, despite the fact that the county should administer the vaccine only to healthcare professionals, according to two knowledgeable officials. the situation and the documents obtained by The Times.
While it is unclear exactly how many doses were administered, an internal email obtained by The Times confirmed that several public defenders were vaccinated on Wednesday morning. The same email, sent by a supervisor from the Los Angeles County Public Prosecutor’s office, instructed prosecutors to go to a test site in Crenshaw to receive the vaccine.
A prosecutor also claimed to have received the vaccine alongside several public defender officials in a Facebook post published on Thursday.
A spokesman for the prosecution declined to comment. Representatives from the LA County Department of Public Health, the public defender’s office, the fire department and the City Hall did not respond to calls and emails requesting comments on Thursday and Friday.
The news marks the last headache for the chaotic vaccine launch in the county. Although health professionals are currently the only group eligible to receive vaccines, a Times reporter saw at least 100 people receiving doses last week, without showing proof that they worked in the health sector. Crowds seeking early access to the vaccine have also generated long queues at distribution points.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise, California officials have expanded the number of people eligible to receive the vaccine to those 65 and older this week, but Los Angeles County officials say the vaccine will not be available for them until health professionals are vaccinated. It may now take weeks for older residents to receive their first dose.
An official with knowledge of the situation estimated that dozens of public defenders and district attorneys tried to obtain doses at the Crenshaw Christian Center, which was previously being used as a COVID-19 test site, before the fire department and health personnel intervened in the Wednesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter frankly.
An attorney from one of the offices visited the Crenshaw site and told employees that they worked for the county and “contacted mentally ill patients,” so they should be eligible to receive the vaccine, according to one of the employees. Shortly thereafter, several other lawyers for the public defender and prosecutors arrived at the same location and received doses, the official said.
Health professionals employed by the Department of Mental Health are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, but lawyers are not, according to county health guidelines.
Later on Wednesday morning, an assistant deputy chief prosecutor sent a message to the team stating that the Crenshaw website was “offering the COVID vaccine to county officials (whom they consider essential workers) with county identity,” according to with a copy of the email received by The Times. The e-mail stated that several public defenders had visited the site and “all went to court vaccinated”.
A district attorney also said in a Facebook post that he had received the vaccine, alongside other “fellow public defenders and prosecutors”. The lawyer did not respond to an e-mail requesting comments.
Concerns about health risks for those working in the county’s vast justice system have been constant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the judicial system has taken several measures to limit the number of people in the county courts, delaying trials and limiting access to court facilities, social detachment is still difficult in the courts.
An adjunct public defender and an interpreter died after contracting the virus, and there were at least 250 cases of possible exposures, including cases where defendants and police who tested positive for the virus entered the courts, according to a record of coronavirus incidents in courts previously obtained by The Times.
Eric Siddal, vice president of the union representing district prosecutors, said there is often a lot of confusion about when prosecutors and public defenders will become eligible for the vaccine.
“It is a new government and there has not been much communication with the troops about what to do and how to deal with these things, so, unfortunately, it seems that a lot of information is being spread by rumors, without any formal statement from the administration,” he said.