Governor Newsom gets J&J vaccine
LOS ANGELES >>
California Gov. Gavin Newsom received his “one and done” Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine Thursday, as people 50 and older became eligible for the coveted inoculations in the most populous state in the country.
The Democratic governor chose a public stage to receive his shot — sitting in a folding chair, steps from a bank of TV cameras while the event was livestreamed from a mostly vacant area on a lower floor of a Los Angeles shopping mall.
Wearing a mask, Newsom kept the mood light, bantering as he pulled up the short sleeve of his T-shirt to expose his upper arm. He joked that he brought his own doctor, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.
“Nothing to be nervous about,” Ghaly said before poking the governor with a needle.
Newsom, 53, received his vaccination as millions more Californians became eligible Thursday to make appointments for the available doses, a process that remains frustrating for many.
Unlike most residents, however, there was no waiting line for Newsom. He did not have to wade through the state’s online portal and other separate sites in an attempt to get a vaccination appointment, or wake up in the middle of the night hoping to score a last-minute opening.
He encouraged residents 50 and over to get vaccinated. “The best vaccine is the next one available,” Newsom said.
But he also warned the state has been hit with at least seven virus mutations that pose new threats and “now is not the time to spike the ball. Now is not the time to announce, ‘Mission accomplished.’”
The event took place at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, a shopping mall in a historically Black neighborhood southwest of downtown. LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it was critical to highlight the disproportionate economic and health effects of the pandemic on working class people and communities of color, particularly for Black and Latino Californians.
Mitchell cheered as Yolanda Richardson, the state secretary in charge of vaccination operations, also received the J&J vaccine. Both women are African American.
California has administered more than 18 million doses as of Thursday and 6.7 million people are fully vaccinated. But the governor warned that getting to herd immunity may take months and depends on supply. Last week, the state administered 2.5 million shots, about the amount California expects to receive next week, he said.
The state of nearly 40 million residents is coming back to life as more business sectors reopen following a crushing winter surge. California’s case and death rates remain low but unlike in some other states, cautious health officials have asked people to continue wearing masks and maintain social distancing rules in order to avoid another surge.
On Thursday, the touristy and popular Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopened to visitors while in Oakland, the A’s prepared to welcome a limited number of fans to their opening day game. Other major league baseball teams, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels, were also preparing for games in San Diego and in Anaheim, respectively.
Newsom, a Democrat, is likely to face a recall election from opponents critical of his handling of the pandemic, who argue that he put overly tight constraints on businesses and failed to reopen schools to in-class instruction soon enough.
The theatrical setting appeared aimed at maximizing publicity for the broader availability of the shots as he seeks to regain his footing after Newsom has seen his popularity slide.