LOS ANGELES — It’s the shot that promises to save us all, and Dr. Jerry Abraham has been giving it out as quickly as he can.
“In this short amount of time, we’ve already gone through 400 doses,” the doctor said as he collected empty Moderna vials off a table where nurses prepared syringes.
What You Need To Know
- Kedren Health is currently vaccinating 5,000 healthcare workers per week, in partnership with LA County
- Dr. Jerry Abraham said the clinic needs more volunteers to process appointments
- President Joe Biden has pledged to vaccinate 100 million Americans in the next 100 days
- Thanks to L.A. County, Kedren is now receiving vaccines shipped directly to them
Abraham manages the vaccination at a Kedren Health hub in South Los Angeles through a public-private partnership. L.A. County supplies the vaccines, and Kedren supplies the people and facilities.
Their biggest capacity limit is manpower — it takes about sixty people to check-in appointments, deliver the shots, and monitor for side effects. Even after moving staff out of the clinic to run the hub, they rely on volunteers to fill the gap.
“We just don’t have enough folks, and we’re begging and pleading for people to help,” Abraham said.
Under the new presidential administration, relief could be on the way. President Joe Biden has set an ambitious goal to vaccinate 100 million Americans in the next 100 days and has pledged $20 billion to do it. His plan includes mobilizing the National Guard to help staff clinics, calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish 100 Federal vaccination centers in February, and utilizing independent and chain pharmacies to administer doses.
Of course, none of that matters if America runs out of vaccine supply. Thanks to the county, Abraham’s clinic is now getting Moderna shipped directly to the clinic, saving him weekly trips to a secret county health facility to pick up supplies. Kedren Health is now vaccinating a healthcare worker every thirty seconds.
Abraham has worked every day for the past month to get the hub up and running, and when he finally takes a minute, he gets hit with the magnitude of the moment.
“My medical assistants and my staff are working tirelessly around the clock so they can do this, and they do it because they care,” he said.
No one is forcing the clinic to distribute the vaccine, but Abraham is ready to end the pandemic, and he’ll take whatever help he can get.